CC Podcast Episode 2 | Gratitude: Scripture, Science, and How to Apply It Daily
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It's true always but especially during COVID-19: gratitude is an important practice for us as human beings and Jesus followers. In this episode, we briefly connect Scripture with the science of gratitude, make a distinction between two types of gratitude, and then offer 3 practical ways to apply gratitude daily.
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Show Notes
Kieran (host): In between longer episodes, I’ll bring shorter, bite-sized episodes where I’ll share a tip or a helpful resource for your development as a person, leader, and Christ-follower.
Today I want to talk about gratitude. Especially during a time where we’re missing a lot of what we used to enjoy about life - sports, group gatherings, going places. Gratitude is more important than ever.
Today, I want to briefly connect Scripture with the science of gratitude, make a distinction between two types of gratitude, and then give you 3 practical ways to apply gratitude daily.
First let’s start off with some Scripture:
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34
Note: No mention of circumstances here - just giving thanks for the character of God.
Here’s a famous verse about a patterns of prayer that Paul shares with the Philippian church.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Philippians 4:6-7 - our prayers should include thanksgiving
Those are just a few examples of where the Bible highlights the importance of being thankful and expressing gratitude.
The science of gratitude
Many studies are being done on gratitude and the field of positive psychology has blown up in the past decade. Scientific evidence is finally catching up with the wisdom in the Word.
Here’s a quote from a scholarly article from UC Berkeley:
“Research indicates that gratitude may be associated with better physical and psychological health, increased happiness and life satisfaction, decreased materialism, and more.”
Why is that? It’s a concept from psychology called priming, which we could spend days talking about but to keep it simple, it’s the idea that you are more likely to perceive things and you will more quickly perceive things that are similar to a stimulus you were exposed to earlier.
For example, if I held up a piece of paper in front of you that said the word “doctor”, and then I held up a piece of paper that said the word “nurse”, your brain would more quickly process the word “nurse” than if the second piece of paper had the word “turtle” on it.
That’s because there is a closer connection in our brains between “doctor” and “nurse” than there is between “doctor” and “turtle.
So what?
The concept of priming is why when we’re in a bad mood, it becomes really easy to start listing all the reasons why you are upset or annoyed. You start to find reasons to be mad. You are more attuned to the “bad” or “negative”.
On the other hand, when we start the day off with gratitude, it makes us more likely to be grateful for things as we go about our day and see things in a positive light.
What we know as believers is that gratitude also leads to a closer relationship with God. It brings our focus to Him and his goodness as opposed to ourselves.
Two types of gratitude
Both are good on their own, but it’s best if we do both.
Thankfulness for our circumstances: material blessings (roof and food), people in our lives, health
Thankfulness for who God is and what Jesus did for us by taking the judgement we deserve on the Cross
3 ways to actually put it into practice
It’s best if you start your day with gratitude, but it’s also fine to do at end day as well. If you want to maximize the benefit, do it to start your day and to end your day!
Top 3 things: Write down 3 things that already happened that day that you are grateful for.
Write a handwritten thank you note to someone you really appreciate, even if they live with you!
Visualization: Close your eyes and visualize an experience for which you are grateful for 60 seconds. Re-live them. Use your senses. What do you remember? Who were you with? What did you see, smell, hear? Repeat this for 3 different experiences every day - they can be “peak” experiences like climbing a mountain or getting married, or an everyday experience like seeing your child smile.
In conclusion
Scripture and science agree - you should practice gratitude daily. Give it a shot. Try one of the 3 exercises above and let me know how it goes!
Stay connected
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Thanks for tuning in. We’ll see you next time!
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If you want to use a gratitude journal, here is a simple one and here is one with scripture on each page.
