Insight from the Bible and insight from research show 5 keys to cultivate gratitude for a happier life today.
We all want to live a life of happiness, health, peace, love, and joy. And gratitude is a powerful emotion that can have a significant impact on our pursuit of happiness.
Why is Gratitude Important?
Gratitude is a powerful emotion that can bring you increased happiness in all areas of life.
Gratitude is tremendously important to God.
In addition, gratitude research shows that those who cultivate thankful thoughts are happier, healthier, and more successful in life and in relationships than those who do not.
Amazingly enough, the research also shows that gratitude changes the chemistry in our brains and we feel happier.
When you learn how to cultivate a lifestyle of gratitude, there are tremendous benefits waiting in all areas of life: emotionally, mentally, physically, socially, and spiritually.
How to Cultivate Gratitude for a Happier Life
A lot of people are feeling down, frustrated, disappointed, and lonely. Life can be hard when we are looking for and expect happiness and success.
It can feel like we are missing something. Maybe the following keys can fill the gap for you. Our pursuit of happiness here begins with the simple task to cultivate gratitude in our hearts.
1. An Attitude of Gratitude Brings Success
“In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you” (1 Thes 5:18).
In my work with people with addictions and life-controlling problems, I observed an important factor that seemed to predict success: If the person was grateful, he or she most likely succeeded.
If not, he or she dropped out of the rehabilitation program quickly and returned to a destructive lifestyle.
We can all have trouble with an ungrateful heart at times.
Just think of Eve in the Garden of Eden. She must have lost her gratitude and allowed discontent to enter her heart, or she never would have been tempted with forbidden fruit.
Discontent, Eve was tempted by shiny deceptions not of God.
See, she could have taken her discontent and desires to her Creator Father.
He would have shown her she was already made in the image of God and He would always supply all her needs, wants, and desires.
Ingratitude is always an open door for dissatisfaction.
Unthankfulness leads to a whole heap of dissatisfaction and trouble.
Yet, gratitude is closely connected with trust and happiness.
Whatever our situation in life, when we express thanks, God listens and responds to us as His beloved children.
2. We Can Decide to Be Thankful
We can choose to be thankful, even in the middle of hard times!
Even research indicates that making a definite decision to be thankful increases our success.
Gratitude is not automatic. To have a thankful heart, we must cultivate thankfulness. We are not born thankful.
For example, little children do not automatically thank their parents; they must be taught to say “please” and “thank you.”
Toddlers do not say, “Thanks mom for giving my sister cookies before me.”
Our fallen human nature tends toward envy and strife, pushing and shoving to get our own way.
A negative, complaining spirit grieves our own soul AND everyone around us.
Yet, everyone loves a person who is continually grateful and thankful.
As adults, we too must remember to be nice, kind, and thankful, and it becomes easier if we have already established the habit.
Learning to practice gratitude is a discipline that trains our minds toward goodness rather than negativity.
Research shows that developing a lifestyle of thankfulness changes the chemistry in our brains and we feel happier.
Thankfulness is a skill we can learn that will change our attitudes and creates a happier life!
“A joyful heart is good medicine, But a broken spirit dries up the bones” (Prov 17:22)
3. God Gives a Special Grace to Grateful People
“And God is able to make all grace abound to you so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed” 2 Cor 9:8 NASB).
Grace and gratitude are also closely linked, even in our everyday language.
In fact, many people say “grace” before their daily meal.
Because we are children of God, He will impart to us unmerited divine favor (empowerment grace) for our daily life.
There is a special favor upon the person with a thankful heart.
The Scripture tells us it is by His grace we can give thanks.
And God’s grace is released to us in abundance when we live a lifestyle of gratitude.
When we cultivate gratitude, we have an opportunity to live every day in the grace and power of God. We learn the habit of looking at our daily situations in faith and learn to trust God more.
When we focus on good things, we change internally and become happier people!
As our heart flourishes, even relationships with our family, friends, and co-workers flourish.
4. Good Things Are Everywhere When We Have Eyes That See
“Open my eyes so I can see what you show me of your miracle-wonders” (Psa 119:18 MSG).
Elisha prayed for his servant, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see” (2 Kings 6:17 NASB).
There are good things all around us if we have eyes to see them.
The problem is not in the circumstance but in the seeing.
Our eyes can be contaminated by the seemingly insurmountable problems and negativity around us until we are unable to see our circumstances like God sees them.
Developing gratitude helps open our eyes to the miracles and wonders of life around us in all circumstances.
Gratitude shifts our viewpoint from the negative to the positive, from despair to hope, and from discouragement to encouragement.
It shifts our view from limited possibilities to abundant possibilities, from sadness to happiness, and from our earthly perspective to God’s heavenly perspective.
We can train our hearts to see in faith from God’s perspective.
5. Record Thankful Thoughts to Build a Positive New Habit of Gratitude
Gratitude studies show that people experience significant positive results in their lives more quickly when they regularly keep track of things for which they are grateful.
One of the ways to make a gratitude habit is to record thankful thoughts every day.
Many times, thoughts just flutter in and flutter out quickly. So there is significant therapeutic value in recording our thoughts and feelings in some way.
This is a small new habit anyone can develop that will transform their life!
Some people decide to challenge themselves for a month or so to practice this new habit.
It has become popular to take the month of November to concentrate on this new gratitude habit.
It’s simple.
All you need to do is to record in some way something you are thankful for each day.
You can use a notebook, a journal, a text, a phone app, a Facebook post, an Instagram photo, or a written thank you note, etc.
I, myself, generally take the month of November to document my thanks every day. In fact, a few years ago the Lord directed me to take an entire year to work on my gratitude.
It is important to note that when we take a few seconds to record our thoughts, it is impressed more deeply in our hearts.
Even when we may not feel grateful, it is important to do thankful things.
In conclusion, it is safe to say gratitude is a skill you can learn and develop.
What About Starting A Gratitude Journal?
It is easy to develop gratitude when you start a gratitude journal.
Each day, you can write down three things that you are grateful for.
These could be simple things like your family, your health, or the sun shining on your face.
You might also be thankful for your friends, a delicious meal, or the comfort of your home after a long day at work.
Whatever it is that makes you feel grateful, take time each day to reflect on these things and appreciate them fully.
As you continue to make gratitude a part of your daily life, you will find that it becomes easier and easier to see all the wonderful gifts around you.
You may begin noticing little blessings in even the most mundane aspects of your day, from the smile of a stranger to a beautiful sunset over the horizon.
With practice and perseverance, you will find yourself filled with an overwhelming sense of wonder and joy as you experience life in all its fullness.
Life changes follow your actions. Simply begin.
Remember to notice the good in your life every day all around you. Thankfulness is a habit we can learn that creates a happier life.
A happier life begins with cultivating gratitude!
A Brief Summary of The Benefits of Gratitude Research
Robert A. Emmons, Ph.D., the world’s leading scientific expert on gratitude, reports that people who consistently practice gratitude experience the following benefits:
The Physical Benefits of Being Thankful
- Being grateful produces a stronger immune system.
- People are less bothered by aches and pains.
- Persons with a positive mind have lower blood pressure.
- Gratitude helps people feel like exercising more and taking better care of their health.
- Those people who are genuinely and habitually thankful sleep longer and feel more refreshed upon waking.
The Psychological Benefits of Being Thankful
- The practice of gratitude produces higher levels of positive emotions.
- Thankful people are more alert, alive, and awake.
- People who practice thankfulness experience more joy and pleasure.
- A life of gratitude produces more optimism and happiness with better mental health.
The Social Benefits of Being Thankful
- Those people who practice gratitude are more helpful, generous, and compassionate.
- They are more forgiving.
- Thankful people are more outgoing.
- They feel less lonely and isolated.
For a full summary of the benefits of gratitude research click here.
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What a wonderful, inspirational person you are. Your articles have been so helpful to me. I make copies of many of them and send them to my sister who is dealing with a husband with Alheimers. (sorry about the spelling). I know I speak for many others who are go grateful to you for your wonderful work.
Aww Sari, Thank you so much! Blessings!