Growing in the Spirit
February’s Theme:
GRATITUDE!
The Power of Gratitude
Guest Contributor: Tenille Ademiluyi, Mental Health Therapist, LMSW
Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise—Psalm 100:4
The book of Psalms vividly captures King David’s heart in times of anxiety, depression, and grief. The Psalms also beautifully magnify the ability David had to direct his own thoughts during these times. He consistently brought his mind back to meditations of gratitude and praise for the faithfulness God had shown him in the past. David engaged gratitude in times of great distress and used his memory of God’s faithfulness to strengthen himself and focus on God’s voice (1 Samuel 30:6)
I have long been inspired by David’s life. While he made his fair share of mistakes, He never let his heart remain in a place of bitterness. His intention to remember the goodness of God in times of distress has made an impact on my life and will continue to impact generations to come. David understood that gratitude is a key that unlocks the pathway to the Presence of God. And in the presence of God there is fullness of joy (Psalm 16:11)
Modern science has now caught up with David’s ancient practice. Brain research suggests that gratitude can rewire the brain to produce a more positive mood and increase immune system function. Focused gratitude journaling has been shown to contribute to marked improvement in mental health functioning when measured over a period of 3 months (Greater Good Magazine, 2021). I use gratitude journaling in my practice and have found it to be particularly effective in helping my clients gain perspective on their grieving process after the loss of a loved one or divorce.
There are many simple ways to be intentional about incorporating focused gratitude in our daily lives. Here are just a few:
· Gratitude journaling (https://www.developgoodhabits.com/gratitude-journal-prompts/)
· Gratitude letter writing (https://ggia.berkeley.edu/practice/gratitude_letter?_ga=2.49985893.2111199953.1640733939-134608776.1640733939)
· Daily Intentional verbal praise/song to God for the things he has done for your life.
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_gratitude_changes_you_and_your_brain
Tenille Ademiluyi
tademiluyi@protonmail.com *******************
Guest Contributor:
Reverend, Dr. Edward Sparkman, Pastor, Shiloh Baptist Church, Philadelphia, Pa
AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
How do we express our gratitude to God when things are not going our way? Sometimes my friends, we just need to say “thank you” because of who He is! On Sunday, January 23rd I celebrated my 69th birthday. I am thankful, and was looking forward to it, but still I kept thinking about losing my wife Rona in October and my thankfulness was weakened. I was thinking about losing Rona and it was dampening my spirit. I kept asking myself, how can I say thanks when I lost the best thing to ever happen to me. But through prayer I was reminded that saying thank you is more than just an expression, it is strengthened by an Attitude of Gratitude. I preached on my birthday and my message was from Psalm 100 where Moses expresses how we say thanks. But I was also reminded by Andre Crouch’s song “To God Be the Glory” where the first verse asks “How do I say thanks for all the things you’ve done for me? Things so undeserved yet you gave to prove your love for me.”
Family, I realized after working on my message and preaching it on Sunday morning that, in spite of my loss of Rona, I still owe God a heart of thanks because he is bringing me through my loss and has allowed me to see another birthday. Gratitude is not something that we turn on and off. It is a way of living and moving forward when life’s circumstances are trying to hold us back. How do we say thanks, we cannot just say it, we must live it! An Attitude of Gratitude is not just when everything is going fine. It is believing and knowing that, even when it is not going well, God is going to work it all out. There is still a blessing on the other side of through. God is good all the time!
Ed Sparkman
***************
Lessons in Gratitude
On January 4th the new year kicked off with a major snow storm here in Northern Virginia. A little after 8 a.m Monday morning., Rich and I woke to the startling reality that the power in the house had just quit. I quickly got up and looked out the window and saw that the snow was coming down sideways because the wind was blowing so hard. Our most trusted DMV weatherman had predicted there would likely be 4-12 inches to the south, but the possibility of 12 inches was late breaking on a Sunday afternoon where the TV was locked on football. So when I saw what was happening outside, it came as a shock. After all, what’s forecasted isn’t always accurate. But on this particular morning, what I was seeing outside was exactly what had been predicted!
What followed were two and half days of no heat, no lights, eating by candlelight, bathing in lukewarm water, no TV, and spending long stretches of time in our cars, sitting in the driveway, charging our cell phones.
Meanwhile, on I-95, only 3 miles away, hundreds were trapped in their cars; the result of a jack knifed tractor trailer accident that happened one mile south of our exit. The incident bought southbound traffic to a halt. By day two, those people were still stranded in their cars without food, water or a restroom. Some cars were even running out of gas. The result of constantly running in order to keep those inside warm. The driver of a bread truck (also stranded) began handing out his supply to passengers in nearby cars who were desperate for something to eat. It was a hot mess on steroids! As inconvenient as our situation was, being stuck in your car for two days (Ughhh!) would have been so much worse.
Lesson 1 – It can always be worse!
When the lights finally came on a little after 10 a.m. on the third day, it felt like Christmas morning! I found myself overtaken by a huge gush of gratitude that our prolonged inconvenience had at last come to an end. Secondly, and even more profound, I felt a deeper awareness and appreciation for all that (before the storm) I had taken for granted. The light switch that now suddenly worked, the sound of the furnace as the heat in the house began to circulate, the excitement over being able to take a hot shower, bringing the perishables that were in the refrigerator back in the house from where we had been keeping them cold in a snow mound on the deck. It was thrilling to once again enjoy even the simplest pleasures.
Lesson 2: There are so many things in daily life we take for granted. Things we rarely think about. But without them, everything is quickly thrown off balance.
Takeaways and the moral to this story:
Going forward, when we consider those things that we’re grateful for, don’t forget about the small things; even the mundane. Because its often the little things that add the greatest value to life and make the journey we’re on better and a whole lot easier.
Peace!
-K-
Say Thank You!!!
How can you be me intentional about showing or expressing gratitude in your daily life?
Love to hear from You!
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