November Dear Friends
Dear Friends,
It is November, the month in which we anticipate Thanksgiving, a time to enjoy good food, a time with family and friends, and a time for gratitude. The word gratitude comes from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness.
In the Bible, we find multiple references to gratitude or thanksgiving.
O give thanks to the Lord, for God is good, for God’s steadfast love endures forever (Psalm 136)
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Colossians 3:17)
We know that gratitude is a good thing to do. But did you know that it is good for us?
According to a study reported by the Harvard Medical School, researchers asked all participants to write a few sentences each week, focusing on particular topics. One group wrote about things they were grateful for that had occurred during the week. A second group wrote about daily irritations or things that had displeased them, and the third wrote about events that had affected them (with no emphasis on them being positive or negative). After 10 weeks, those who wrote about gratitude were more optimistic and felt better about their lives. Surprisingly, they also exercised more and had fewer visits to physicians than those who focused on sources of aggravation.
In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships. Gratitude helps people appreciate the goodness in their lives and helps them connect to other people and to God.
“Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace, and gratitude.” ~Denis Waitley
Gratitude can make us happy. And so how can we get more gratitude? Here are some ways to cultivate gratitude in our lives:
Write a thank-you note. You can make yourself happier and nurture your relationship with another person by sending a thank you note. Make a habit of sending one per month. And once in awhile, write one to yourself.
Keep a gratitude journal. Each day write down something you are grateful for. Since you have to write something different each day, you will find yourself looking for and finding more blessings in your life.
Give. Give to other people. Give food to the foodbank. Give money to the church. Give of your time to help another in need. Give a hand, or a smile, to a stranger.
Pray. Say a prayer of thanks for your blessings. Say a prayer of confession. Forgive yourself and forgive another. Say “thank you, Jesus!” Pray for others in need.
The more we practice gratitude, the more grateful we are, and the more generous we become.
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.” ~Melody Beattie
In this month of Thanksgiving, let us be thankful. And who knows what can happen? Our gratitude may turn into generosity and overflow into the next month and the next year, and we will be forever changed.
Gratefully yours,
Pastor Donna