Every year, on the second Monday of Thanksgiving, Canadians are given another day off from work, this one being in the form of a statutory holiday known as “Thanksgiving”. We all know the value of taking days off from work, of resting, of having a “sabbath day”, but what about the value that might come from “giving thanks”? There are many benefits of doing so.
The English word “gratitude” finds its roots in the Latin word “gratia”, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness. This implies the person giving thanks having the grace and common sense to do so. Thus, expressing gratitude is a giving of thanks for having received a gift or blessing. With gratitude, people acknowledge the source of that gift or blessing. As a result, being grateful also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — whether to other people or to God.
Various psychological studies have shown that 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. One such study was conducted by Dr. Robert A. Emmons of the University of California, and Dr. Michael E. McCullough of the University of Miami. In their study, they asked the 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.
Many other studies show similar results, including one by Dr. Martin E.P. Seligman, a psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, who had his subjects write about their early memories and then personally deliver a letter of gratitude to a person in their lives who had never been properly thanked for his or her kindness. The participants in the study immediately exhibited a huge increase in happiness scores.
Other studies have looked at how being grateful can improve relationships. For example, a study of couples found that individuals who took time to express gratitude for their partner not only felt more positive toward the other person, but also felt more comfortable expressing concerns about their relationship. Another example showed that managers who said “thank you” to the people who worked for them found those employees feeling motivated to work harder.
Of course, followers of Jesus remember his expression of surprise that only one of the ten lepers he had healed took the time to come back and thank him (Luke 17:11-19). That man, alone of the 10 men, also received spiritual healing as well as physical healing. There are so many benefits to giving thanks, and the Bible is filled with the instruction to give thanks to God. So, how can people give thanks? The Harvard Health Publishing website states, ‘Here are some ways to cultivate gratitude on a regular basis:
Write a thank-you note. You can make yourself happier and nurture your relationship with another person by writing a thank-you letter or email expressing your enjoyment and appreciation of that person’s impact on your life. Send it, or better yet, deliver and read it in person if possible. Make a habit of sending at least one gratitude letter a month. Once in a while, write one to yourself.
Thank someone mentally. No time to write? It may help just to think about someone who has done something nice for you, and mentally thank the individual.
Keep a gratitude journal. Make it a habit to write down or share with a loved one thoughts about the gifts you’ve received each day.
Count your blessings. Pick a time every week to sit down and write about your blessings — reflecting on what went right or what you are grateful for. Sometimes it helps to pick a number — such as three to five things — that you will identify each week. As you write, be specific and think about the sensations you felt when something good happened to you.’
The article ends by encouraging believers to pray to God (of course, “counting your blessings” helps to do this), and meditate (which all believers are encouraged to do in the sense of meditating on God’s Word).
May the Lord bless you as you give thanks this Thanksgiving Weekend, 2024!
