The Benefits of Being Thankful
The Benefits of Being Thankful
Everyone is in pursuit of happiness. A heart of gratitude is a quality that can be found in happy people. Whether they’re going through good times or bad times, they still give thanks for what they have and the things they’ve been given. Everything comes at a price, which means you need to make an effort to make gains. It’s the same with happiness. Happy people are happy because they live with gratitude. In order to gain happiness, we need to realize the importance of expressing thankfulness and appreciation in all aspects of our lives.
Why should we give thanks?
Physical & mental benefits
Studies have shown that grateful people are more optimistic and energetic, and they have lower blood pressure and less depression. In other words, giving thanks helps to boost your physical and mental health. Nowadays, people are experiencing increasing levels of stress and anxiety. Practicing gratitude helps us to focus on positivity and lower the cortisol (stress hormone) level in our bodies. As a result, it improves the physical and psychological aspects of our lives.
Social & emotional benefits
Showing gratitude enhances our connections with other people, allowing us to have better social relationships. People who actively express thankfulness are generally more approachable, have more positive energy, and are easier to get along with. Therefore, expressing thankfulness can facilitate calm behaviors and security in relationships.
Spiritual benefits
When it comes to spirituality, it has everything to do with God. In Job 33:4 it says, “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” Just as the earth cannot exist without the sun, our spirits cannot survive without the connection to God. In order to receive eternal blessings from God, we have to go to His domain. In Psalm 100:4 it says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Through giving thanks, we are able to reach God and our spirits can receive grace.
To whom should we give thanks?
Physical aspects
There are many things to be thankful for in our lives: good health, clean drinking water, abundant food, hot showers on cold days, beautiful scenery, a stable job, caring parents, a roof over our head, kindness from strangers, and even the struggles that make us grow and become stronger. If we were to count all the moments when we have received help and favor from other people, there would be so many that we wouldn’t even be able to remember them all. And if we are the ones who are able to help others, we should also be grateful that we have the capability to do so.
Spiritual aspects
Most of the time people take the sun, rain, air, wind, and appropriate climate to farm, harvest, and eat for granted. However, considering that the earth is the only planet that allows human beings to live in various ways, the environment we have is truly precious in itself. Since we live our lives on the foundation of all creation, we should give thanks to God who created everything.
In addition, we must give thanks to God who created the body of human beings upon that foundation and created the spirit that is everlasting. As we grow the crops of faith, the Holy Trinity has been the sunshine, the air, the rain of grace, and the warm temperature for us. The Trinity has given us spiritual food too. Therefore, our body and spirit have eaten the things that God has provided, we have received His protection, and thus we did not spiritually die by going into the domain of death. It is truly something we should be grateful for.
When should we give thanks?
When it comes to thanksgiving, we should give thanks at the very moment we receive something, as if greeting someone when we first see them. If, for example, we give thanks for food after eating it for a while, it is like offering our food simply because we have leftovers.
Furthermore, thanksgiving should not be treated as a one-day event. If a man and a woman were to get married and set one day out of the whole year as a day of love, loving each other only on that day, they wouldn’t be able to live a life of love. What they need to do is live while loving each other moment by moment every single day. Thanksgiving works in the same way.
We should make it a habit to always count our blessings. A person who constantly gives thanks is like a farmer who sows seeds diligently and thus reaps an abundant harvest. Conversely, a person who does not give thanks ends up like a farmer who is unable to harvest because he did not sow any seeds. Therefore, do not cease to be thankful every day. People who are grateful sow more and harvest more.
How should we give thanks?
In general, most people give thanks by saying, “Thank you.” This is giving thanks with our lips, but we can also give thanks through our actions. For example, if we receive help from someone, in addition to saying thank you, we could also return the favor by doing what they want or providing what they need.
It is the same when giving thanks to God. We can offer prayers of thanksgiving and give glory to express our gratitude for what we have received and gained, but we can also show our appreciation by obeying God’s Word and following God’s Will.
A life of thanksgiving towards God should be done through our words as well as our actions. We should express gratitude to Him with our lips, express gratitude by offering a tithe—a tenth of what we have received—and express gratitude by giving to God the Almighty what we should give to Him while worshipping Him in Spirit and in truth.
Thanksgiving leads to a joyful life
Thanksgiving is a courtesy that the one who has received expresses to the one who has given; this is proper etiquette. The absence of thanksgiving is like food without any salt. With bland food, we wouldn’t feel satisfied nor very joyful. While it is beneficial to give thanks to people, it is far more important to offer thanks to God—the One who created the heavens, the earth, and human beings so that everything we’ve experienced could happen. Through a life of thanksgiving, we become more connected to the Giver, become closer to Him, and become transformed in our bodies, hearts, and spirits. Hence, we become people who have been reborn through thanksgiving and who live with joyful hearts.
About Author
Shinki is that IT Gig, that go to person for computer related issues.
In his spare time he runs, cycles, and exercise with the trinity in mind.