
Come And Reason Ministries
Come And Reason Ministries helping you learn to discern.
Come And Reason Ministries
Come And Reason Ministries – helping you learn to discern.
It is Thanksgiving here in the United States of America again, and this affords us the opportunity to reflect on our blessings and give thanks to our Creator God.
In 2009, I wrote a blog entitled âThankfulness and Your Healthâ in which I explored the research documenting the health benefits of having a thankful mindset.
Since that time, new research has confirmed the health benefits of gratitude:
These benefits are likely related to the way that our thoughts, our choices in what we focus on, direct which brain circuits fire. When we focus on thankfulness, we activate the brainâs âloveâ circuits, which send a calming signal to the brainâs alarm system (amygdala), thereby reducing inflammation in the body. Love is calmingâit casts out fearâwhen we are thankful.
Conversely, when we focus on negative or stressful events, we activate the brainâs alarm system, which increases fear and sends a âfight or flightâ signal to our bodies, raising blood pressure, increasing heart rate, activating the immune system, and increasing inflammatory factors. If this isnât turned off, if we stay in a state of heightened fear, these elevated inflammatory factors impair signaling between neurons, leading to fatigue, malaise, concentration and motivation problems, and sleep disturbance. Additionally, these factors cause insulin resistance, which elevate cholesterol and increase the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and depression.
Yes, gratitude, being thankful, is healthy for our minds, bodies, and relationshipsâjust as God designed. SoâŠ
Psalm 136 The Remedy
1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love gives life forever.
2 Give thanks to the only true God.
His love gives life forever.
3 Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love gives life forever.
4 to him who alone built the universe from nothing;
His love gives life forever.
5 to him who alone had the wisdom to make the heavens;
His love gives life forever.
6 to him who brought forth land from the deep waters;
His love gives life forever.
7 to him who created the great lights â
His love gives life forever.
8 the sun to rule the day,
His love gives life forever.
9 the moon and stars to rule the night;
His love gives life foreverâŠ
23 to the One who remembered us when we were helpless
His love gives life forever.
24 and freed us from our enemies,
His love gives life forever.
25 who provides food for all living things.
His love gives life forever.
26 Give thanks to the Creator God of heaven.
His love gives life forever.
If you want an attitude of gratitude, rather than mere platitude, always remember the beatitude: Happy are those who give thanks to our God of love. So give Him thanks and then give thanks to the people in your life.
[1] Hill, P., et al., Examining the pathways between gratitude and self-rated physical health across adulthood, Personality and Individual Differences; Volume 54, Issue 1, January 2013, Pages 92-96
[2] Hoy, B., et al., Links Between Parentsâ and Childrenâs Levels of Gratitude, Life Satisfaction, and Hope, Journal of Happiness Studies: August 2013, Volume 14, Issue 4, pp 1343â1361
[3] Cheng, S. et al., Improving mental health in health care practitioners: Randomized controlled trial of a gratitude intervention. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Vol 83(1), Feb 2015, 177-186
[4] OâConnell, B., et al., Mediating effects of loneliness on the gratitude-health link. Personality and Individual Differences; Volume 98, August 2016, Pages 179-183