Godly Gratitude

Gratitude towards God is central to our faith. Train your brain to look for the positives in life to improve your mood and raise your levels of optimism and resilience.

Three Good Things is one of the most commonly used Positively Psychology exercises to promote happiness and expressions of gratitude pervade the scriptures. It is simple yet profound. Every evening, write down three good things that happened during your day. Actually write them down as well as seeing them in your mind’s eye. Typing them into your device is OK but research shows physically writing them down makes the exercise even more powerful. The idea is to (a) relive the pleasant experience in vivid detail, and (b) train your brain to look for the good things in your world. They don't necessarily have to be monumental events. Even a smile from a stranger on the train may be meaningful enough to make your list but they must come from your heart.

┃Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

~1 Thessalonians 5:1

Positive Psychology researcher, Shawn Achor, has a method to deepen the imprint in your brain that he calls The Doubler. This involves taking one of these things and journaling about it for a minimum of two minutes, engaging all the senses to essentially relive the experience for double the effect.

Most people stop there but results compound further when you go even deeper.