Transform my heart

 According to an article in The Wall Street Journal, researchers have found that “adults who frequently feel grateful have more energy, more optimism, more social connections, and more happiness than those who do not. They’re also less likely to be depressed, envious, greedy or alcoholics. They earn more money, sleep more soundly, exercise more regularly, and have greater resistance to viral infections.”

In a study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in 2003, researchers divided people into three groups. 

Over a period of 10 weeks…

• one group had to list five things per week for which they were grateful,

• another kept track of five things they found annoying each week, and

• the third just listed things that had happened in their lives. 

The results? “Those who listed blessings each week had fewer health complaints, exercised more regularly, and felt better about their lives in general than the other two groups,” the Journal reported.

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Dr. Robert Emmons, a professor of psychology at the University of California-Davis, was one of the leading researchers in that study. He’s quoted as saying that the act of feeling gratitude requires “self-reflection, the ability to admit that one is dependent upon the help of others, and the humility to realize one’s own limitations.”

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Gratitude is good for the body and the soul. Today in prayer, thank Jesus for His many blessings in your life.

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“Gratitude is the forgotten factor in happiness research.” – Robert Emmons

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“Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” – Psalm 95:2

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“Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and bless his name. For the Lord is good. His unfailing love continues forever, and his faithfulness continues to each generation.”—Psalm 100:4-5

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LORD, transform my heart and give me an attitude of gratefulness. Open my eyes to see your hand in every area of my life. When I have forgotten your goodness, remind me of what an awesome God you are and the myriad things I have to be thankful for. I thank you for your goodness, love, and faithfulness to me that you have shown in all the ways you have blessed my life!

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Look Up—meditate on Psalm 100:4-5 … pray to see what it reveals about the character of God.

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Look In—as you meditate on Psalm 100:4-5 … pray to see how you might apply it to your life. Be propelled to ask galvanizing questions about your discoveries: "Because God is_________, I will_____________."

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Look Out—as you meditate on Psalm 100:4-5 … pray to see how you might apply it to your relationships with others. Let the nature of God impact on every relationship, for your good, and for His glory.