This, the second in a three-part series about positioning ourselves for success will look at a stance of thankfulness. Being thankful may be something that seems obvious to many, however for most being intentional about living a life of thankfulness is not such an obvious focus. In many cases being thankful is chalked up to a personality trait, or seemingly something that you either have or do not have. That could not be further from the truth, thankfulness is shown to be more like a tool in our toolbox of life that could and should be one of our most used tools.
In this blog post we will look at:
· What is thankfulness and what are the effects of being thankful.
· How can we make thankfulness part of our daily lives.
What is thankfulness and what are the effects of being thankful.
Gratitude according to an article in the Harvard Health Publishing titled “Giving thanks can make you happier” ascribes gratitude as being thankful for something that you receive, whether it be tangible or intangible. It goes further to say that people expressing gratitude is the acknowledgement of the source of something good that is at least partially outside of themselves. In referring to gratitude or thankfulness in this way gives a fresh perspective to such a crucial aspect of living a happy successful life. Being thankful in other words is the humble expression of living in community with other people. It changes the focus from looking inward to valuing those around you, forcing you to look outward. From research, we know that isolation has a toxic and desperate effect on people, being thankful pulls your focus away from yourself and gives you a broader value for those around you. One of the effects of valuing others is that those you value will start to value you and appreciate your contribution to the community which you live in. This in turn gives your life a sense of purpose and belonging.
Some other effects of being grateful are physical and mental health. Amy Morin writes in her article “7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude” that people who are grateful live healthier lives because they take better care of themselves, exercising more and eating healthier. Some of the other effects Amy lists include better rest while sleeping, a decline in depression as well as more mental strength.
From a Christian perspective, taking a stance of being thankful is a core practice. In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 the apostle Paul writes 'Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. ' HCSB. The apostle Paul places such a high value on being thankful that he makes the statement that it is God’s will for us to be thankful. Another Scripture that expresses the value of being thankful beautifully is Colossians 4:2 'Devote yourselves to prayer, stay alert in it with thanksgiving. 'HCSB. These scriptures give us some insight into the power of being thankful. I believe that being thankful turns your eyes away from the challenges in your life towards God. John Maxwell says the following “Whatever you focus on inflates”, applying this quote to being thankful means that thankfulness acknowledges the goodness of Jesus, deflating the power that the challenges have over your life.
How can we make thankfulness part of our daily lives?
Please bear with me as I make the following statement, we are not born with a sense or character trait of gratitude. The reason I say this can be seen in any kindergarten classroom. Every time a child receives something, an older person asks, ‘what do we say?’, to which the child hopefully responds, 'thank you'. Being grateful is in other words a trait that is learned and chosen to be expressed.
The following story from the life of Corrie ten Boom illustrates that the practice of being thankful even when you do not feel like perfectly.
Corrie and Betsie ten Boom extraordinary Dutch Christians who helped to hide Jews from the Nazis in Holland during World War 2. The sisters were however discovered, arrested and sent to Ravensbruck, a German concentration camp.
Their sleeping barracks consisted of a wooden platform with old filthy straw on it. These platforms were their beds. The sisters soon found out that the straw was overrun with fleas. Corrie was horrified to realise this, but her sister Betsie insisted that they had to be thankful in this situation according to the above-mentioned scripture in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Corrie protested but Betsie was firm in her resolve. The two sisters together prayed and thanked God for their surroundings.
Sometime later Betsie full of excitement came running to Corrie and said that she found out that the guards were afraid to come into the barracks because of the fleas. This meant that the barracks were never searched and that their valuables were safe from the prying eyes of the guards.
What a wonderful illustration of how, when thankfulness is practised it changes our perspective and joy is released. Practising thankfulness may sometimes be hard and even feel impossible, in those times it is most important to take a breath and find something to be thankful for, it will give you a new perspective and lift your emotions.
Powerful questions to practise thankfulness:
· How can you make thankfulness part of your daily routine?
· Who in your life can you be thankful for today? (Please let the person that comes to mind know that you are thankful for them).
· Within the challenges that you are currently facing, what can you be thankful for?
Conclusion
Becoming a person who regularly expresses thankfulness, does not happen overnight. It would be wise to be reminded that the world around us is trying to conform us to its standards. Being thankful, however, changes your perspective which releases influence into your surroundings, changing your environment in the process. Stick with practising thankfulness, you will slowly but surely start to see the change in your life.
If you have missed part one of this series please click on the link to catch up positioning ourselves for success part 1
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