For many people the final month of the year is welcomed with a long awaited sigh and celebration as it signals holidays, food, festivities and summer. For others however the season is viewed with a sense of dread and weariness, due to the stress of expenses, events, deadlines and get togethers, or not.

Regardless of whether this month energises or depresses you, one thing is for certain, it represents an opportunity to look back over the last 12 months and assess our successes and failures. This is vital in seeing whether we have been effective or not but don’t let that be the only function. Let this month also serve as a time to look back and be truly grateful for all that has transpired, both good and not so good.

Gratitude is not only a virtue that our parents insisted that we show as children with good manners but it is an attitude that secular researchers are now discovering has tremendous health benefits. In 2007, Robert Emmons began researching gratitude through a psychological lens. He found that expressing gratitude improves mental, physical and relational well-being. Being grateful also impacts the overall experience of happiness, and these effects tend to be long-lasting.

Little wonder that the Bible repeatedly commands us to give thanks. Col 2:7 tells us that we are to abound in thanksgiving. Luke 17 records the remarkable story of Jesus healing the 10 lepers. After instructing them to confirm that their leprosy had ceased to the priests, one of them came back immediately praising God and throwing himself at Jesus feet out of sheer gratitude. Jesus marvelled at the absence of the other 9 who were also healed but did not demonstrate the same level of appreciation. Due to this man’s gratitude, Jesus made him whole, the implications of which are that his sins were forgiven and possibly any missing body parts as a result of the leprosy were restored.

Gratitude is an attitude that the child of God ought to embrace. We have so much to be thankful for, even when our lives are not ideally placed. Get into the habit of giving thanks always (1 Thes 1:2). Get into a habit of being grateful. Here are just a few tips:

Keep a journal where you can list 2-3 things to begin your day being thankful for and end it in the same way. (I recommend the Five Minute Journal).
Spend a significant part of your prayer time thanking God for every detail. Count your blessings everyday and name them one by one.
Practice thanking your loved ones for something at least once a day
Say ‘Thank you’ often
Write a letter or send a gift of thanks to someone who has made a difference in your life.

We don’t celebrate a Thanksgiving holiday like in North America but we can exercise this wonderful virtue that can literally transform our lives every single day. Remember that the word gratitude comes from the same root as Grace. Gratitude is the appropriate response to Gods’ amazing grace in our lives.

Have a blessed season!