Having a Heart in a Sometimes Heartless World
Day 202 – Ruined by gratitude
Scripture focus: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
I have a friend who is perpetually perky. He’s completely genuine in this hopeful outlook on life. His wife says that she finds it annoying, but since they’ve been married fifty years – I assume she’s learned how to cope. Not everyone finds their way back to God and ends up with a Pollyanna personality.
Overflowing hope spills on all sorts of temperament types. The Drs. Ryan have this to say about gratitude on page 252 of one of my favorite books – Rooted in God’s Love.
“Gratitude is a kind of participation in and response to God’s grace…The experience of gratitude is a response of our inmost being to God’s grace. When gratitude breaks through, we are able to stop our frantic efforts to earn our way through life. In these moments of calm we see that our inmost being belongs to god. We are God’s creation. Sometimes that is all we need. Other times this thought that we are God’s dearly loved creation is so far beyond all we could ever have asked, hoped or dreamed for, that our hearts fill with praise and joy.”
For me, even on days when I’m not chipper, I find that gratitude is a lovely companion. I can’t force the experience of responding to God’s grace. So, especially on the days when I’m more grumpy than grateful – I’ve discovered a few things that help me get my gratitude groove going.
· I have a little note to self that reads: Remember! Notice the many gifts God is going to give you today! (Notice that I am assuming and presuming that God will indeed give me good gifts. This is biblically sound and totally appropriate.)
· I have a principle I practice several times a day. I ask myself: Am I thankful for these good gifts – and how can I express my gratitude?
· I take a snack break each afternoon, and I find a few minutes to sit and relax. I drink a cup of hot coffee in the winter or iced in the summer. I reflect back on the day thus far and ask myself – what important stuff did I miss today? Where there moments of joy that I missed? Evening is fast approaching – how can I create an environment of gratitude for my family? What can I do to bring joy to my boys (and my girl when she’s available to sprinkle with joy)?
These are just a couple ways I nurture gratitude. When I nurture gratitude, it seems like joy and peace find me.
Why am I so intentional in my search for gratitude? Because I’m aware that my amygdale (small piece of our brain in charge of responding to emotions) and my mid-brain (pleasure center) have been better trained for other, more limited emotional responses. I’m beefing up my emotional response system. Are there any emotions that your internal radar is missing?
May gratitude spill all over your spirit today. If you planned a cranky day – may it be ruined by your participation and response to God’s grace!
Recommended reading: 2 Chronicles 1 and 2 in the morning; Romans 6 and Psalm 16 in the evening
I have a friend who is perpetually perky. He’s completely genuine in this hopeful outlook on life. His wife says that she finds it annoying, but since they’ve been married fifty years – I assume she’s learned how to cope. Not everyone finds their way back to God and ends up with a Pollyanna personality.
Overflowing hope spills on all sorts of temperament types. The Drs. Ryan have this to say about gratitude on page 252 of one of my favorite books – Rooted in God’s Love.
“Gratitude is a kind of participation in and response to God’s grace…The experience of gratitude is a response of our inmost being to God’s grace. When gratitude breaks through, we are able to stop our frantic efforts to earn our way through life. In these moments of calm we see that our inmost being belongs to god. We are God’s creation. Sometimes that is all we need. Other times this thought that we are God’s dearly loved creation is so far beyond all we could ever have asked, hoped or dreamed for, that our hearts fill with praise and joy.”
For me, even on days when I’m not chipper, I find that gratitude is a lovely companion. I can’t force the experience of responding to God’s grace. So, especially on the days when I’m more grumpy than grateful – I’ve discovered a few things that help me get my gratitude groove going.
· I have a little note to self that reads: Remember! Notice the many gifts God is going to give you today! (Notice that I am assuming and presuming that God will indeed give me good gifts. This is biblically sound and totally appropriate.)
· I have a principle I practice several times a day. I ask myself: Am I thankful for these good gifts – and how can I express my gratitude?
· I take a snack break each afternoon, and I find a few minutes to sit and relax. I drink a cup of hot coffee in the winter or iced in the summer. I reflect back on the day thus far and ask myself – what important stuff did I miss today? Where there moments of joy that I missed? Evening is fast approaching – how can I create an environment of gratitude for my family? What can I do to bring joy to my boys (and my girl when she’s available to sprinkle with joy)?
These are just a couple ways I nurture gratitude. When I nurture gratitude, it seems like joy and peace find me.
Why am I so intentional in my search for gratitude? Because I’m aware that my amygdale (small piece of our brain in charge of responding to emotions) and my mid-brain (pleasure center) have been better trained for other, more limited emotional responses. I’m beefing up my emotional response system. Are there any emotions that your internal radar is missing?
May gratitude spill all over your spirit today. If you planned a cranky day – may it be ruined by your participation and response to God’s grace!
Recommended reading: 2 Chronicles 1 and 2 in the morning; Romans 6 and Psalm 16 in the evening
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