Psalm 100 and
Colossians 3:12-17
Douglas K. Huneke
November 21, 2004
It’s great when science validates a treasured religious teaching and experience. Oppressed and writing from a Roman prison cell to the faith community in Philippi, Paul’s spirit was alive with gratitude and ecstasy, “I thank my God for you every time I think of you; and every time I pray for you, I pray with joy…. You are always in my heart!” (1:3-7a)
Last week, “WebMD” reported the results of continuing national studies on the health impacts of gratitude. Researchers at the University of Kentucky found that people who maintain an appreciative attitude had increased optimism and creativity.
Thankfulness as a mindset is good for your health and does not require a prescription, over the counter products, or an argument with your HMO! At U.C. Davis, Professor Robert Emmons concludes that people who have an attitude of gratitude are better at self-care and he found that “feelings of thankfulness have tremendous positive value in helping people cope with daily problems, especially stress.”[1]
In the 100th Psalm David wrote, “Serve the Lord with gladness…. giving thanks…with songs of praise…. Give thanks to the Lord and bless God’s name.” Rabbi Abraham Heschel wrote that perhaps the only prayer we need to utter is, “Thank you!”
The consistent, regular cultivation of gratitude is a key spiritual practice. We try to begin and end each day with prayers of thanksgiving. We come to every meal, whether alone or with family, counting blessings. During the day we pause to touch the spirit of gratitude that under girds our work. For Christians, thanksgiving is the thick red ribbon that holds life together, it’s not an annual national festival; it is the daily feast of our souls!
Sometimes, gratitude resides at the periphery: lives get full, busy, stressed, and consumed with work, commitments, and activities. And, thankfulness easily slips off the radar with so many things wrong here and in the world, so much fear in our national life, and so much anger fueling our politics.
When at the periphery and off the radar, we are called to reclaim the attitude of gratitude. Before the Nazis executed Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, he kept a prison journal that was a testimony of quiet peace and deep faithfulness grounded in gratitude. In typical form he wrote, “In ordinary life we hardly recognize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.”[2] In the trying circumstances of her life one of my mother’s oft-repeated aphorisms was, “Now! We must count our blessings!” And then she would. Mothers and martyrs engrain in our consciousness the fact that thankfulness in all circumstances is a trusted guide.
Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel shared a story that illuminates the power of thankfulness in preserving human integrity and nobility, “On the streets and in the camps the S.S. never said, ‘Thank you.’ They had no need for those words – they took whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted it: property, life, inventories, hope; whatever they wanted…. In my camp,” Wiesel recalled, “There was a rabbi who urged people to greet one another by name, always and in every circumstance. To the S.S. we were just numbers with a short life. The rabbi also told us to say ‘Thank you’ each day and ‘good Sabbath’ every Friday. I remember after the liberation of our camp, the survivors, who had every right to be angry, were grateful for everything. The first words to reach our lips were, ‘Thank you’ – to the liberators and for bits of bread or meat, for a blanket and shelter, for a kind word, for everything.”[3]
Gratitude is the soul’s true vestment because it creates and nurtures spiritual wellbeing, and fortifies emotional strength and physical health. Therefore, I want to offer several suggestions for kindling mindfulness and placing gratitude at the center of our being:
First, begin and end each day, and through the course of a day note the feeling of thankfulness – for someone or something, for an insight or a moment of awe and wonder. Do this and you will feel more balanced and at peace as optimism, hope, and confidence will frame your outlook.
Second, try to use part of family mealtimes to share what has happened to inspire thankfulness in each person. Such sharing frames a family spirit and is an opportunity for love and support – as the saying goes, “We must count our blessings!”
Third, if gratitude and optimism slip off the radar, it is helpful to make a list of what we take for granted. That list becomes a record of the many people and things that bless life; it transforms and enlivens our outlook, and focuses our prayers.
Fourth, is your gratitude index low? Secretly picture in your mind or look intently at someone you love, or a friend, or co-worker. Give thanks for all of the good things you find – look hard, look deep, make it last as long as possible; with each thankful thought feel the transformation of your soul!
Finally, lift Thanksgiving Day one dimension more by inviting everyone at the table to think of a special person who touched their lives – a spouse, child, friend, teacher, colleague, mentor, parent, neighbor, even an adversary. With the pumpkin pie, serve up a basket of note cards, stamped envelopes, and pens. Invite everyone to take a card home and write a note to the one whose memory invoked gratitude – and maybe even briefly share the story around the table.
Daily, let’s fill
our souls with gratitude and joy!
Let’s permanently engrave Paul’s words in our minds, “I thank God for
you every time I think of you; and … I pray for you with joy… you are always in
my heart!” Let thankfulness be the
rich, bountiful harvest of your life!
Copyright © 2004, Westminster Presbyterian Church of Tiburon