Good Grateful Morning!
Believe it or not, today is our 11th week of the Gimme/Dame 5.0 exchange. For ten weeks we have shared our gratitude with each other.
Back in December I told you about Dr. Robert Emmons' work studying the effect gratitude has on people. This morning I discovered that his research on gratitude began with a 10 week study in which people wrote down five things they were thankful for once a week. (Sound familiar?) A second group was asked to write down 5 hassles from the week. And a third group was asked to write down five things, good or bad without focusing on them. Here are Dr. Emmons conclusions after the 10 week experiment.
"People who were in the gratitude condition felt fully 25% happier - they were more optimistic about the future, they felt better about their lives and they even did almost 1.5 hours more exercise a week than those in the hassles or events condition. All this from reflecting on the pleasure of having seen the sunset through the clouds? Dr Emmons also expresses surprise at the findings of the study, partly because there are some reasons practising gratitude might not be so good. For example, focussing on gratitude reminds us what we owe to others. This may in turn remind us of our dependence on others and reduce a sense of personal control. Thinking in terms of gratitude may also focus us on the debts we owe to others and, studies have shown, people don't enjoy feeling indebted to others."
So, for those of you who have been participating for 10 weeks in our Gimme 5.0 ---- Do you feel 25% happier? Are you more optimistic about the future? Have you been execising more?
Or better yet, are we realizing how indebted we are to the others in our lives? Pastor Terry grabbed hold of this the third week we shared. He noted,"By end of day, were it not for this discipline, I would literally ignore, not notice, bypass and forget key people who absolutely paved the way for the path(s) I took in that one day. And by morning, another list emerges: either STILL forgotten from the day prior or ALREADY standing on the road ahead of me, already creating the agenda, the opportunities, the food, the potential for me to move forward with expectancy in the coming hours."
Paul, in his letter to the Philippians expresses this as well. He says, "Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God." (Philippians 1:3)
So, who crosses your mind today? Who has crossed your path and given you reason to be thankful to God?
1) I give thanks for my dear, sweet, unstoppable wife, DeDe. She gives her love to me daily by sharing her life freely through stories of her day, delicious meals, warmth and affection. She never seems to stop giving to her sons, her patients and her brothers and sisters at Grandview Park. I shudder to think what my life would be like without her. Thank you, God, for bringing DeDe into my life.
2) I give thanks for my mother, Dolores. She continues to support and care for me through thick and thin. Thank you, God, for my mother.
3) I give thanks for my dad, Jerry. He became a father to me when my father died and he has always been there for me. Thank you, God, for my dad.
4) I give thanks for my mother-in-law, Martha. Though we clash sometimes, I have been blessed by her dedication to our children and the church. Thank you, God, for Martha.
5) I give thanks for my Grandpa and Grandma Behrens who gave me my first Bible lessons and showed me what a grateful, Christian life can look like. Thank you, God, for my grandparents.
I owe these people my life. (There are thousands more, by the way. You are probably one of them!) They have all paved the way for me. Who do you owe? Make a list and see if you don't feel at least ten percent happier. I feel better already. I think I'll go to the YMCA today!
Gratefully Yours,
Pastor Rick
Believe it or not, today is our 11th week of the Gimme/Dame 5.0 exchange. For ten weeks we have shared our gratitude with each other.
Back in December I told you about Dr. Robert Emmons' work studying the effect gratitude has on people. This morning I discovered that his research on gratitude began with a 10 week study in which people wrote down five things they were thankful for once a week. (Sound familiar?) A second group was asked to write down 5 hassles from the week. And a third group was asked to write down five things, good or bad without focusing on them. Here are Dr. Emmons conclusions after the 10 week experiment.
Happiness up 25%
"People who were in the gratitude condition felt fully 25% happier - they were more optimistic about the future, they felt better about their lives and they even did almost 1.5 hours more exercise a week than those in the hassles or events condition. All this from reflecting on the pleasure of having seen the sunset through the clouds? Dr Emmons also expresses surprise at the findings of the study, partly because there are some reasons practising gratitude might not be so good. For example, focussing on gratitude reminds us what we owe to others. This may in turn remind us of our dependence on others and reduce a sense of personal control. Thinking in terms of gratitude may also focus us on the debts we owe to others and, studies have shown, people don't enjoy feeling indebted to others."
So, for those of you who have been participating for 10 weeks in our Gimme 5.0 ---- Do you feel 25% happier? Are you more optimistic about the future? Have you been execising more?
Or better yet, are we realizing how indebted we are to the others in our lives? Pastor Terry grabbed hold of this the third week we shared. He noted,"By end of day, were it not for this discipline, I would literally ignore, not notice, bypass and forget key people who absolutely paved the way for the path(s) I took in that one day. And by morning, another list emerges: either STILL forgotten from the day prior or ALREADY standing on the road ahead of me, already creating the agenda, the opportunities, the food, the potential for me to move forward with expectancy in the coming hours."
Paul, in his letter to the Philippians expresses this as well. He says, "Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God." (Philippians 1:3)
So, who crosses your mind today? Who has crossed your path and given you reason to be thankful to God?
1) I give thanks for my dear, sweet, unstoppable wife, DeDe. She gives her love to me daily by sharing her life freely through stories of her day, delicious meals, warmth and affection. She never seems to stop giving to her sons, her patients and her brothers and sisters at Grandview Park. I shudder to think what my life would be like without her. Thank you, God, for bringing DeDe into my life.
2) I give thanks for my mother, Dolores. She continues to support and care for me through thick and thin. Thank you, God, for my mother.
3) I give thanks for my dad, Jerry. He became a father to me when my father died and he has always been there for me. Thank you, God, for my dad.
4) I give thanks for my mother-in-law, Martha. Though we clash sometimes, I have been blessed by her dedication to our children and the church. Thank you, God, for Martha.
5) I give thanks for my Grandpa and Grandma Behrens who gave me my first Bible lessons and showed me what a grateful, Christian life can look like. Thank you, God, for my grandparents.
I owe these people my life. (There are thousands more, by the way. You are probably one of them!) They have all paved the way for me. Who do you owe? Make a list and see if you don't feel at least ten percent happier. I feel better already. I think I'll go to the YMCA today!
Gratefully Yours,
Pastor Rick
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