“God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say thank you?”
William Arthur Ward“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever”.
1 Chronicles 16:34“It is impossible to feel depressed and grateful at the same moment.”
Naomi Williams
| Gratitude affects the brain and body in amazing ways |
| • Decreases heart rate, cardiac disease, inflammations, neurodegeneration, and releases toxic emotions so that we feel calmer and happier, and keeps us healthier. • Improves our sleep and enhances our mood. • Helps us overcome substance abuse and eating disorders. • Strengthens and enhances the brain’s emotion-related and motivation-related activity. This allows us to better appreciate what we have and pursue our goals. • Reduces pain, improves our quality of sleep, and aids in regulating stress, thus reducing anxiety and depression and improving our physical and mental health. • May have lasting effects on the brain, enabling us to be more sensitive to the experience of gratitude. • Practicing daily gratitude reduces negative emotions and is a natural detox for the mind and body. |
| Benefits of gratitude |
| • When we feel and express gratitude, stress cannot control us. • Gratitude touches our physical, mental, and social well-being. • We begin to view the world through a lens of thankfulness. • We have a fuller appreciation of our family, friends, jobs, nature, and the Almighty. • We learn that nothing should be taken for granted. |
“The hearts of those who reveal the attributes of Christ glow with divine love. They are imbued with the spirit of gratitude. … Lift up Jesus. Lift Him up, the man of Calvary, with the voice of song and prayer. Seek earnestly to spread the gospel. Tell the precious story of God’s love for man.
“If we will consecrate heart and mind to the service of God, doing the work He has for us to do and walking in the footsteps of Jesus, our hearts will become sacred harps, every chord of which will send forth praise and thanksgiving to the Lamb sent by God to take away the sins of the world. …
“Christ would have our thoughts center upon Him. … Look away from self to Jesus Christ, the life of every blessing, every grace, the life of all that is precious and valuable to the children of God. …
“Filled with gratitude, we communicate to others the blessings that have been freely given us. Thus receiving and imparting, we grow in grace; and a rich current of praise and gratitude constantly flows from our lips; the sweet spirit of Jesus kindles thanksgiving in our hearts, and our souls are uplifted with a sense of security. The unfailing, inexhaustible righteousness of Christ becomes our righteousness by faith.
“Let the fresh blessings of each new day awaken praise in our hearts for these tokens of His loving care.
“When you open your eyes in the morning, thank God that He has kept you through the night. Thank Him for His peace in your heart. Morning, noon, and night, let gratitude as a sweet perfume ascend to heaven.” My Life Today, 170, 171
“The language of the soul should be that of joy and gratitude. … Cultivate only those thoughts and those feelings which will produce gratitude and praise. …
“Contemplate the better land, where tears are never shed, where temptations and trials are never experienced, where losses and reproaches are never known, where all is peace and joy and happiness. … These thoughts … will fill you with joy and hope in believing and will abide with you as a comforter forever.” In Heavenly Places, 36
Sources: positivepsychology.com/neuroscience-of-gratitude/#stress; psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/comfort-of-gratitude/202009/gratitude-and-its-impact-on-the-brain