Positive Effects of Gratefulness
There is truth in the saying that grateful people are happy people. Science confirms the positive effect of gratitude in our bodies. Grateful people are healthier, sleep better, have better friendships and think about others more than less grateful people.
Worry, discontent and jealousy cause negative emotions, which can weaken our immune system and make it less effective in fighting disease. Negativity can also change the structure of our brains and can lead to more unhappy memories being stored rather than happier ones.
Grateful people are positive in their outlook and influence! They do not grumble and complain but give people the benefit of the doubt and look for good in every situation.
What To Be Grateful For
The Psalmist David expressed his gratitude to the LORD on many occasions throughout his life. Psalm 107 begins with the exhortation:
Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good!
For His mercy endures forever.
He longed that others would be grateful:
Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,
And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness. (v. 8-9)
As we consider our lives, we have much to be thankful for. Each new day is an opportunity to render thanks to the God who sustains us and blesses us abundantly through His grace and mercy.
We can be grateful for our salvation, our health, families, employment and environment. We can delight in the small pleasures of life, such as a kind word, a smile of appreciation or a delicate flower in the wind.
Our Future
When we have a relationship with our Heavenly Father through His Son, the Lord Jesus, we can rejoice in eternal salvation and a future beyond our imagination.
How can we be sure?
God loved us so much that He came to the earth in the form of human flesh to atone for our sin. The God who cannot lie promises eternity in His presence to those who do His will on earth. As we rejoice in the hope of Christ's return, we know one day we will finally see the One who loved us 'unto death'.
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
1 John 3:2
This is the reason Christians can also be thankful in the face of immense suffering and hardship. We know the suffering is only temporary and that a better day is coming! May we cultivate a grateful attitude in our daily lives as we live for Him!
Give thanks with a grateful heart Give thanks to the Holy One Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son. (x2)
And now let the weak say, "I am strong" Let the poor say, "I am rich Because of what the Lord has done for us." (x2)
Give thanks.
Henry Smith
“It is only with gratitude that life becomes rich!” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer