An Attitude of Gratitude

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In this episode...

An Attitude of Gratitude

https://faithfulontheclock.com/an-attitude-of-gratitude

What does a healthy attitude of gratitude look like? In Episode 61 of Faithful on the Clock, you’ll get a scriptural portrait of what it looks like to be thankful, plus an explanation of how that connects to modern neuroscientific thinking on positivity.

Timestamps:

[00:05] - Intro

[00:37] - A happy Thanksgiving wish and explanation of why we’re talking about gratitude

[01:11] - An attitude of gratitude does NOT mean you’ll feel all flowers and roses all the time. Believing this myth puts people at risk for minimizing or becoming impatient for relief.

[02:19] - Neuroscience says the more you look for something, the more you’ll start to find it. This means that establishing a habit of looking for the good will make it easier for you to see the positive things and be more grateful over time. But it’s not an overnight process. Healthy gratitude requires you to learn to let your limbic brain and cortex together, using your cognitive thoughts even when you don’t feel good.

[04:26] - Healthy gratitude is a journey. It’s OK to be grateful even through suffering.

[05:06] - The story of Job is probably the best example of a grateful heart through times of trouble.

[05:56] - The stories of Daniel, Jonah, and Jesus feeding the 5,000 all show gratitude in a healthy way. Jesus’ story also shows that you can be grateful in anticipation of what God will do, having faith that He will do it.

[06:49] - You don’t have to be in a good place to be grateful. Don’t minimize. Just use your cortex and remember you always have God and therefore always have something to be thankful for.

[07:25] - One strategy for developing an attitude of gratitude is to get into the Word every day. Focus on all the positive things around God and on His character.

[08:02] - A second strategy for developing an attitude of gratitude is to find small things to acknowledge in your everyday life. We often talk about gratitude in the context of big accomplishments, but the small things communicate a lot about who we are. It’s OK to validate those things and that God gave them to us. Recognize God as the source along the way.

[10:20] - A third strategy for developing an attitude of gratitude is to find supportive, faithful people who you can talk to. Let them offer you guidance and support.

[11:17] - Don’t confuse an attitude of gratitude with toxic positivity and make it something you try to do out of a sense of obligation. Just speak truth and be open, even if you are having difficulties in your life, because God knows about the difficulties anyway. It’s the darkest times that we can be the most grateful that God is still beside us.

[12:38] - Prayer

[13:26] - Outro/What’s coming up next

Key takeaways:

• Being grateful doesn’t necessarily mean you feel flowers and roses. We can get the message that gratitude magically will lead to good feelings or success, but that’s not always the case.
• Neuroscientifically, the more you look for good things, the more you will see them. But it takes time for the brain to get into that habit.
• It’s OK to have moments where you still feel hurt and yet still express gratitude. They can happen at the same time.
• The stories of Job, Daniel, and Jesus feeding the 5,000 all show that you can be thankful even in tough circumstances.
• Although you shouldn’t minimize what’s painful, it’s important to remember that you always have God and can be grateful for Him.
• Three critical ways to improve an attitude of gratitude include getting into the Word, finding small, everyday things that are positive (while focusing on God as the source), and finding supportive people who can give you perspective.
• An attitude of gratitude is NOT toxic positivity. It’s not just one more task to check off. Don’t let it be an obligation, but rather, allow yourself to be grateful even in your darkest moments, recognizing that God is always with you.

CTAs:

• Schedule some time each day when you can read your Bible and reflect on all of the good things related to God.
• Use a notebook or a phone app to jot down small things you are grateful for throughout the day. Doing this ensures you can reflect in the moment and that you don’t forget the good things by the end of the day.
• Contact one or two people who can help you on your gratefulness journey. Explain your goal of being more thankful and ask if they can give you support, accountability, and feedback.

What’s coming up next:

Look through past headlines and you’ll see that some of the leaders you thought were moral are getting wrapped in scandals. What should we do when this happens? Episode 62 discusses what it means for our own leadership when our role models fail.

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