Gratitude Journal

Did you know that writing down what you are thankful for can have tangible benefits? In the secular world, plenty is written about the benefits of gratitude. There has been a lot of research conducted about the power of the positive. According to a study by researchers from the University of Minnesota and the University of Florida, having participants write down a list of positive events at the close of a day, and why the events made them happy, lowered their self-reported stress levels and gave them a greater sense of calm at night. That's great, but what about our spiritual health? Gratitude is an essential and powerful tool to nourish us in our faith journey. When Jesus taught us to pray, he taught us to thank God. While imprisoned in Rome, Paul wrote, “Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:19-20.

Just last year on his blog, Billy Graham wrote, "Thanksgiving—the giving of thanks—to God for all His blessings should be one of the most distinctive marks of the believer in Jesus Christ. We must not allow a spirit of ingratitude to harden our heart and chill our relationship with God and with others. Nothing turns us into bitter, selfish, dissatisfied people more quickly than an ungrateful heart. And nothing will do more to restore contentment and the joy of our salvation than a true spirit of thankfulness."

Keeping a Gratitude Journal is a spiritual discipline that helps us focus on what we have, not what we think we need. In her blog post, Why is Gratitude so Powerful, Jean Wise wrote, "Being thankful helps us step out of the way, thanking God for all things, not relying on our own self centered strength."

A few of the benefits of gratitude found in research:

• Studies have found that gratitude helps you recover more quickly from stress, adversity and trauma by helping you interpret negative events. It has been found to give you a perspective to help guard against post-traumatic stress and lasting anxiety.
• People who are grateful tend to be more helpful and empathic, more spiritual and religious, more forgiving, and less materialistic than others who are less predisposed to gratefulness.
• Gratitude can improve relationships. Gratitude makes us nicer, more trusting, more social, and more appreciative. As a result, it helps us make more friends, deepen our existing relationships, and improve our marriage.
• People who practice gratitude consistently report benefits such as stronger immune systems and lower blood pressure; higher levels of positive emotions; more joy, optimism, and happiness; act with more generosity and compassion; and feel less lonely and isolated.

Let's commit to expressing our gratitude to God by keeping a Gratitude Journal, or consider finding a Gratitude Buddy, a partner who is interested in purposefully writing about gratitude. Make a commitment to share one thing each day that you are grateful for. Do it by email or text. It helps to have someone else depending on you and expecting you to share a grateful thought each day.  

There are a monthful of prompts for a gratitude journal at this website.
How to Keep a Gratitude Journal.