Sunday Lessons: Gratitude

If you know me well, you will know that I am a songwriter and lover of music. Last week I shared some lyrics from a Kanye West song (Closed on Sunday) to talk about the power of community, today I want to share lyrics from one of my favourite songwriters, Brandon Lake. He released this song titled “Gratitude” in 2020 talking about how one of the greatest responses we can give to God is our thanksgiving. The chorus of the song goes like this:

So I throw up my hands
And praise You again and again
Cause all that I have is a hallelujah

Hallelujah

And I know it’s not much
But I’ve nothing else fit for a King
Except for a heart singing hallelujah
Hallelujah

Gratitude is the state of being grateful or thankful for something or someone (Merriam-Webster). It is derived from the Latin word “gratus”, which is also the root of related terms such as grace, gratuity, and gratis, all signifying positive moods, actions and ideas. Gratitude is beneficial to our health and emotional well-being, even science and psychology corroborate this. Robert Emmons, a psychology professor at the University of California and one of the world’s leading experts on gratitude and his team found that gratitude has the potential to reduce the frequency of toxic emotions such as envy, resentment and frustration.

“Psychologists find that, over time, feeling grateful boosts happiness and fosters both physical and psychological health, even among those already struggling with mental health problems.“

psychologytoday.com

I believe that gratitude should stem from the heart, just like Brandon Lake sang, it should go beyond the circumstances and things around us, even to God who is the giver of all things. I find that when I begin to be ungrateful, I even lose sight of the blessings that are all around me. Gratitude keeps me conscious of all the good around me even when bad things are happening, I get to be grateful for being alive, for the people in my life and for everything that I have. Gratitude helps me to be content and not compare my life with others. It helps me maintain my hope and joy.

Gratitude to me is more than an emotion, it is a decision. I can choose to be grateful every day. Even in dire circumstances, I get to see with a different positive lens. Even scriptures in the Bible encourage us to be grateful. Let me mention a few, Paul the Apostle wrote in his letter to the church in Thessalonica and encouraged them to “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Also, King David of Israel, a prolific psalmist and poet wrote many times in his books about thanksgiving. A popular verse, quoted by many people is “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good. His love endures forever.” (Psalms 136:1). Honestly, I don’t think anyone can ever go wrong with a habit of daily gratitude, it is beneficial to the Spirit, Soul, and Body.

I want to encourage you today to be full of gratitude. Think of something that you are thankful for and write it down. Practice it daily. Count your blessings, name them one by one, it may surprise you all that God has done. Happy Sunday

#MMBA5