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I’ve been encouraging you to develop a gratitude muscle. I mentioned that the scientists are just now discovering that gratitude rewires your brain. But the idea of gratitude is not new; it’s not something that these scientists have just thought of. It’s been a biblical truth since time began.
But does it seem particularly difficult be thankful in our world today? We hear all kinds of bad news every day, and we have struggles of our own to deal with as well. It’s easy to say that we should be grateful, but how can we do this in our upside-down world?
Well, this is where we have an incredible advantage as followers of Jesus Christ. Actually trying to develop a gratitude muscle won’t work unless you have something to be thankful for—something that is not affected by the circumstances of this world or of our lives. Gratitude works when it is true response of a creature to a Creator.
I have a final suggestion to help us develop this gratitude muscle. How about a gratitude journal—a place where you consistently keep a record of all you have to be thankful for. Even if you journal already, use a separate gratitude journal and on a regular, if not daily basis, write down at least one thing you are grateful for. There is great benefit in putting it in writing.
Developing this gratitude muscle will be one of the most game-changing things you can do for yourself and for the glory of God. But you will have to work at it. You will need to consistently exercise this gratitude muscle, which means you’ll need daily reminders to be a thankful, grateful person. It will re-wire your brain; it will change your attitude; it will improve your health; it will improve your relationships—everything in your life will be so much better if you will make a commitment to develop and improve your gratitude muscle. I encourage you to start developing your gratitude muscle.
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