Things Above Gratitude
Nov 27, 2024
Explore the transformative power of gratitude with insights into how it can enhance mood and brain chemistry. Learn practical ways to deepen your spiritual connection through recognizing beauty, goodness, and truth in everyday blessings. Discover techniques for expressing thanks, even for life's challenges, and how shifting focus from mere thanks to worship can enrich your faith. Plus, try a unique bean-and-bowl practice to cultivate gratitude for both blessings and difficulties!
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Wooden Bean Gratitude Ritual
- James Bryan Smith describes a wooden tray with 18 fava beans he uses for gratitude practice.
- He moves a bean after thanking God for each blessing and says the ritual reliably lifts his mood.
Gratitude Changes Brain Chemistry
- Practicing gratitude shifts attention from negative thinking to the massive good in life and raises mood.
- Gratitude triggers serotonin, oxytocin, and dopamine while lowering stress hormones like cortisol.
Turn Thanks Into Worship
- When you thank God for blessings, look for the beauty, goodness, and truth in them and let that lead you to worship.
- Move from appreciating the gift to praising the Giver by recognizing God dwells in beauty, goodness, and truth.
