Take a moment. Breathe. Be still. And in this moment, picture the things that make you feel grateful. One of the truest forms of joy in life comes from showing gratitude for all of the tangible and intangible things you receive and experience on a daily basis.
Consider this: the authors of a Harvard Mental Health Letter say, “…gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness, [and it] helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.” Friends, there are a lot of benefits coming your way once you start upping the gratitude ante. Seriously.
Furthermore, Psalm 118:24 says, “This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.” Here, the Bible is telling us to show gratitude to all of the people, things, and experiences in any given day. The Bible gave us the Harvard recipe for happiness thousands of years ago: we need to celebrate all that we have been given!
It is great that gratitude makes us feel good, but don’t be confused – it isn’t meant to be self-serving. If we have a truly grateful heart, we actually provide thanksgiving to lift the hearts of others or to honor God, not to feel better about ourselves. A thankful heart aims to make others feel loved, valued, and appreciated. We are called to love one another above all else, so when we are expressing that love in the form of gratitude, we are fulfilling God’s main purpose for our lives. Maybe, just maybe, that’s why science had found that being grateful makes us so happy.
In the spirit of this post, and as a way to honor the day I have been given, I am going to take a small moment and express just a few points of gratitude.
I am grateful for the breath in my lungs, the clean water I drink, and the food that I eat.
I am grateful that my head always has a pillow and a place to rest.
I am grateful that my mind is sound and my body is strong.
I am grateful for the love and support of my immediate and extended family.
I am grateful for all of the beautiful souls that I have been able to call friends, whether they are part of my past, present, or future.
I am grateful for all of the students I’ve ever taught, as they taught me more about life than I ever taught them about science or reading.
I am grateful for the people who have already supported my missions work, and I am thankful for those who will join in the effort.
Above all, I am grateful for God’s grace, sovereignty, and promises.
This list could go on and on, but I will stop myself here because I know your time is valuable. I will leave you with a challenge. Show excessive, wild, strange, and wonderful amounts of gratitude today.
Write a comment below to share what makes you thankful.
Call the people you love and tell them why you are grateful for them.
Send a thank you note or e-mail to someone you value.
Speak out the intangible things you appreciate (yes, out loud – I’m convinced it makes a difference).
Spread the joy, sweet friend.
Until the whole world hears,
Mia
PS – thank you for taking the time to read this post, and feel free to share it! Please consider donating to my mission trip! I have a fundraising deadline fast approaching 🙂
