Gratitude Journals
I am grateful for gratitude journals. Maybe gratitude journals were always a “thing,” but I feel like there has been a gratitude movement explosion in the past several years.
So many corners of my life—from my calendar to many of the shows I watch to books I see on shelves—all seem to reinforce the life-changing potential of gratitude. And for good reason.
It’s bigger than self-help with mass appeal or pop-psychology—there's observable, scientific data about how orienting oneself toward gratitude can actually change the way the brain operates, leading to feelings of greater contentment and lessened depression.
God knew this long before Oprah did.
Long before you could buy adult coloring books with gratitude meditations or life planners with daily prompts to write something you’re grateful for, our Bible prompted its readers to set the heart and mind on things that fill us with gratitude.
In fact, the Bible pushes us further. Consider Philippians 4:8-9:
Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
I particularly love the way The Message interprets this familiar verse:
Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.
Paul tells his beloved friends in Philippi that what they are doing is great. He essentially says, “Keep on keeping on. You’re doing great things when you do what you’ve learned from me. But let me challenge you to elevate your thinking. Let’s focus on the best, not the worst—on the beautiful, not the ugly.”
Paul probably knew what scientists would describe centuries later; he knew that thinking on such things affects what we do because it affects why we do it.
In this season more than ever, intentionally trying to orient our thoughts toward gratitude is vital. And now more than ever, intentionally trying to orient our thoughts toward gratitude can be a struggle.
Such a simple practice might not come naturally, and might instead need to be a deliberate exercise. But might I suggest you try?
Take a few moments now and contemplate the prompts below. Don’t overthink it—just go with the first thing that comes to mind.
Name something that is true.
Name something that is noble.
Something that is reputable.
Authentic.
Compelling.
Gracious.
Utterly good.
Beautiful.
Praise-worthy.
Write these words down and put them somewhere you’ll see them throughout the day. Pray these words, or just tell God how grateful you are for your answers, and consider coming back to this exercise tomorrow or later in the week.
And to echo Paul, I pray as you stretch toward gratitude, that the God of peace will be with you.
Shelley Woodruff, Pastor for Community Engagement, First Baptist Church Decatur