“Thank You Very Gracias!

Thanks to Pastor Alfonso the title of this blog has become a common phrase at Grandview Park Presbyterian Church. When he’s feeling really grateful he throws in a “maltiosh” (Maya Quiche for “Thank you!”). Along with Pastor Alfonso we have begun to live these words daily.

“A life in thankfulness releases the glory of God.” ~ Bengt Sundberg

For 48 consecutive weeks we have practiced shared gratitude with our e-mail list called Gimme Five/Dame Cinco. Every Wednesday for 11 months we have shared 5 things for which we are grateful. In the beginning there were about 25 people on our list. Now we have 65. In 48 weeks we have shared over 3200 expressions of gratitude. This shared gratitude has lifted my spirit on many occasions. Each Wednesday I try and stay close to my computer so that I can see what others are thankful for. I’m reminded of Paul’s words, "Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God." (Philippians 1:3)

Dr. Robert Emmons has found through research that when people write down things they are thankful for their happiness increases by 25%. People who participated in this study 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. Pastor Terry grabbed hold of this the third week of Gimme Cinco. 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."

Our practice, I believe is even more beneficial than simply journaling. We share our gratitude. We don’t just write it down and keep it to ourselves. We share it with one another, both the good stuff and the bad. And by sharing we build up one another and we build up our sense of community.

Paul in Ephesians says, “Thanksgiving is our dialect.” (Eph. 5:4). It doesn’t matter whether we say it in Quiche or English or Spanish. When we say “thank you” to God and each other, lives are blessed. So as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday think about how you can share your gratitude. Maybe you didn’t know about the Hump Day Gimme/Dame 5.0 and would like to join the group. All are welcome. The important thing is to practice gratitude daily. The Christian faith begins and ends in gratitude. Faith is a gift. Your life is a gift. Don’t forget to say thanks to the Giver! In the words of Pastor Alfonso, “Thank You Maltiosh Very Gracias!”

Gimme Cinco!
Pastor Rick
(If you would like to join in the Gimme Cinco dialogue just send an email to me at rudyflash@aol.com with Gimme Cinco in the subject line.)