Right before I go to sleep, I often find myself in prayer. I start these prayers by describing to the Lord the things I am grateful for. Usually, it is for the big things in my life like my home and family. But I also try to find small things to be grateful for like finding my keys on a busy morning. After doing this for many years, I find that it helps me to feel better not just about the day, but also about life in general.
Expressing gratitude, in any form, can help us greatly in our lives. It is good for both our mental and spiritual health. For our mental health, it can help us deal with our emotions as well as reduce jealousy and stress. Spiritually, it can help us to more fully love others, deal with trials and bring us closer to God.
According to an article on the website Psychology Today, being grateful can help us reduce our negative emotions. When we are grateful for the things around us, we have a tendency to focus more on the positive than the negative. This in turn creates an abundance of positive emotions.
People who practice gratitude are also less likely to compare themselves with others. Instead of concentrating on everything they don’t have, grateful people are happy with what they do. Going through life this way, they are less likely to envy the successes and possessions of others.
Several studies have shown that practicing gratitude can reduce the stress in our lives. As mentioned earlier, the more that we are aware of the good things around us, the less likely we are to focus on the bad. When we do this, we worry less and in return can reduce our stress.
We are all aware of the commandment to “love thy neighbor,” but did you know that showing gratitude can help us to do just that? According to a 2012 study, people who were more grateful showed “more sensitivity and empathy toward other people…” This was even true when the people involved were treated poorly (1).
Being grateful can also help us deal with life when things don’t go the way we would have hoped they would. Life’s difficulties have a tendency to bring us down, especially when we dwell upon them. But if we can find gratitude for the good things in our lives, then we become less effected by the negative. This attitude makes trials easier to cope with.
Finally, when we express our thanks to our Heavenly Father, it brings us closer to Him. Recognizing God as the source of our blessings, we cannot help but feel His love for us. This in turn makes us want to be closer to Him.
We may think of gratitude as a way that we can show our love for God, but it is also a way that God shows His love for us. When we are grateful, we are able to experience many blessings that will help us in our lives. The more grateful we are, the more of these blessings we receive. In this way, gratitude creates a circle that can help us to live our best lives.
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