Happy Thanksgiving! – The Power of Gratitude
“Gratitude realigns us to God and helps us feel full, not just with turkey on Thanksgiving, but with the love that transforms our lives.”
By Philip K. Hardin, M.A., M. Div., LMFT, LPC
By Philip K. Hardin, M.A., M. Div., LMFT, LPC
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving is about the power of GRATITUDE!
Yes, I always look forward to the food—turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie, and many other delicious treats. I’ll even watch some football and probably take a nap.
But, without question, the highlight will be sharing Thanksgiving cards with my girls. My wife, Karla and daughters, Audrey & Abigail, will each receive a card from Hallmark - but with a personal additional message of GRATITUDE and VISION for each of them. I will rise early on Thanksgiving morning and spend time considering the personal message I want to write on their card to express my GRATITUDE for them and the VISION I see for their future. I hope to offer my girls LIFE through my words.
Gratitude offers the power to change: your brain, physiology and emotions.
Gratitude will change your brain—the way you think!
Emily Fletcher, the founder of Ziva, a well-known meditation training site, mentioned in one of her publications:
“…gratitude is a ‘natural antidepressant’.”
The effects of gratitude, when practiced daily can be almost the same as medications. It produces a feeling of long-lasting happiness and contentment, the physiological basis of which lies at the neurotransmitter level.
When we express gratitude and receive the same, our brain releases dopamine and serotonin, the two crucial neurotransmitters responsible for our emotions, and they make us feel ‘good’. They enhance our mood immediately, making us feel happy from the inside.
By consciously practicing gratitude every day, we can help these neural pathways to strengthen themselves and ultimately create a permanent grateful and positive nature within ourselves.
Gratitude is the road to a closer walk with God.
As Psalm 100:3, 4 in The Message directs us:
“Know this: God is God, and God, God.
He made us; we didn’t make Him.
We’re His people, His well-tended sheep.
Enter with the password: “Thank you!”
Make yourselves at home, talking praise.
Thank Him. Worship Him.
In gratitude, we thank God not just for the things that fills stomach or our homes, but also for Himself.
I want my girls to be encouraged in their walk with God. I want them to feel the presence of the one that loves them most.
Gratitude realigns us to God and helps us feel full, not just with turkey on Thanksgiving, but with the love that transforms our lives.
Gratitude has been called the “gateway” to spiritual discipline.
It creates humility because it reveals our God-given neediness. Humility is a heart condition that recognizes that all of our blessings have been received, not earned. It understands how utterly depraved we stand before a Holy God. We simply can’t advance God’s Kingdom, be saved, or even love God in return without His love for us -first.
Indeed, humility is the right posture when relating to God—it permits God’s grace in our lives. As James states that “God goes against the willing proud. God gives grace to the willing humble” (4:6 – The Message).
Since God’s grace is God’s power, the more thankful and needy we are before the Lord, the more power we receive.
I want my girls to practice gratitude and as they do, I know humility and grace will develop a habit that allows them to experience more of God’s presence and power.
Gratitude in the midst of suffering –can it be done?
Gratitude flows easily when we’ve landed our dream job or just fell head-over-heels for a potential mate. And it’s easy to lift up some heavenly appreciation when we only receive a warning (instead of a ticket) for speeding.
But what about when we don’t get our way? Or what about when tragedy strikes? Can we still be thankful then?
Indeed, life is not always a buffet of delicious circumstances where we get to pick and choose which items we put on our plate. Sometimes we get served a dish of lemons.
Yuck.
Fortunately, Christian gratitude doesn’t require us to “turn our lemons into lemonade”—a cliché that might be found in some cheesy self-help book. Certainly, painful events can shape us and build our character, but that doesn’t mean we have to simply smile through the pain and pretend everything’s fine.
A theology of gratitude that doesn’t allow for grief is at best misguided, if not downright cruel. Tears are good. Sadness is painful, but real and necessary.
I want my girls to feel the freedom to grieve when they experience loss, hurt or when they are confronted by pain. The practice of gratitude does not negate sadness. Real life makes room for BOTH.
The source of our gratitude in the midst of suffering is that He is with us, won’t leave us, and tenderly cares for us. We can always express gratitude for these things.
All in all, Thanksgiving brings us back to center. It grounds us. It takes our eyes back to our Heavenly Father from whom all blessings flow..
Take time this Thanksgiving to share out loud all you are grateful for!
May you and your family have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Phil Hardin works as a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist with Hardin Life Resources practicing in both Jackson, MS and Fairhope, AL.
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