Express Gratitude and Experience Grace

Recently, I came across some new research studies on the science of gratitude. Can you believe there’s such a subject as “the science of gratitude?” It’s fascinating to learn how gratitude can enrich our lives with profound joy and happiness.

According to neuroscientists, gratitude can rewire your brain and induce serotonin and dopamine—the happiness hormones that promote health and healing. That’s an affirming discovery for us because, as Christians, our life is all about gratitude. The Bible says,

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thes 5:18).

Notice it says it’s the “will of God” for us to give thanks in all circumstances. The Bible also tells us to rejoice always. How do you rejoice? I’ve discovered that you can rejoice when you count the blessings and give thanks. I’ve personally experienced that a grateful heart cannot be depressed. According to psychologists, the attitude of gratitude is the healthiest emotion.

When I think about gratitude, I can’t help but remember an inspiring joke about a widow living alone, praying every morning and night, and giving thanks to God. Seeing her devotion to God, her atheist neighbor feels annoyed and looks for an opportunity to convince her that God doesn’t exist.

One morning he hears the widow praying aloud, “Dear God, I thank you for your love and grace. Today, my refrigerator is empty, and I don’t have food to eat. But I trust that you will provide me with all my needs. Give me this day my daily bread. Lord, I know you are my shepherd, and I shall not want.”

The neighbor suddenly gets a bright idea to prove her wrong about her belief. So, he goes to the store, buys a bunch of groceries, and places them in front of her door. He rings the bell and goes hiding behind the corner.

Hearing the bell, the woman comes out and sees the bag of groceries and praises God with great joy, “Thank you, oh Lord, for your generosity! I know you are the provider and will give me what I need.”

“Wait a minute, Mrs. Jones,” the neighbor jumped out of the corner, saying, “I am the provider. Not God. I bought these groceries with my own money and placed them at your door. There is no such thing as God. So stop being superstitious!”

The lady appears even happier and excited and raises her hand in the sky, “Oh, what an amazing God. Your wisdom is wonderful. Not only do you give me my daily bread, but also make the devil pay for it!” (End of story.)

I love this joke because it depicts an invincible faith with a quick wit.

K. Chesterton—the great English writer and philosopher—left us with many of his profound thoughts on gratitude and quotable quotes. Here are some of them,

“The worst moment for an atheist is when he is really thankful and has no one to thank.” ~G. K. Chesterton

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” ~G. K. Chesterton

“The aim of life is appreciation; there is no sense in not appreciating things, and there is no sense in having more of them if you have less appreciation of them.” ~G. K. Chesterton

“When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” ~G. K. Chesterton (This one has something to do with our lesson today.)

“You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the concert and the opera, and grace before the play and pantomime, and grace before I open a book, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing, dancing, and grace before I dip the pen in the ink.” ~G. K. Chesterton

“When we were children, we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs?” ~G. K. Chesterton

We live in a fallen world, and we all know life is difficult. But, if you can find reasons to be grateful, life can become a joy to live. Even though science today has proven that gratitude makes a big difference in our well-being, Jesus reveals gratitude has spiritual significance and is a path to salvation.

Do you know God has a soft spot? Our heavenly Father cannot resist our gratitude. One of my daughters knew how to express gratitude in her own way even before she could speak. She melted my heart each time she did that. In the same way, you can melt the heart of the heavenly Father with your gratitude.

Have you wondered how to express your faith? Most of the time, we think we express our faith by passively believing or trusting God, but according to Jesus, our attitude of gratitude shows our faith. God rewards grateful people. That’s why miracles happen when we express our sincere gratitude.

So, today, we will explore how Jesus teaches us to express gratitude and experience grace, not only for the well-being of this life but also for eternal salvation.