Advent 5 - The Practice of Gratitude
By Sheila Bridge
A couple of years ago I was given a one line a day, five-year diary. When I open it now and take time to write a line about my day, I can choose to look at the entry for last year above it and see what was happening then.
Initially I was sceptical about the practise of writing down three things I’m grateful for each day. It felt like a very ‘pollyanna’ thing to do; in other words, being ridiculously cheerful in the face of overwhelming difficulties. What difference does it make to jot down that you enjoyed the flowers in the park or the latte in your lunchbreak in the face of a full-on stressful day?
But I was wrong. The practise of intentionally noting some good things in each day really does help you ‘catch’ the glimmers of good stuff. Noting them down allows them to reframe and rebalance your day from ‘all bad’ to at least ‘good in parts’. It literally helps to rewire your brain.
As I write this, I am enduring one of the worst weeks I’ve had in years. Gathering things to be grateful for in such a climate can feel like ‘whistling in the wind’ which is why it’s a good idea to start the practise when nothing is particularly troubling you. Then it’s a practise or habit that has become ingrained and it can be one rung on a ladder that might help lift your perspective up a notch in the difficult times.
The psalmists were wise: at the end some of the gloomiest and most depressing psalms there are instructions to ‘give thanks’ and ‘praise God’. Why not read Psalm 77 where the writer describes so well that ‘middle of night’ desperation, but on reaching the place of intentional remembering he says: ‘I will remember the deeds of the Lord’ (verse 11). Or meditate on the promise in Psalm 50:23: ‘Those who sacrifice thank-offerings honour me, and they prepare the way so that I may show them the salvation of God’.
And you don’t have to write down your ‘gratitudes’. If writing feels alien to you, you could simply make a habit of recalling three things and breathing them in. As you lie down and prepare to sleep, take three deep long breaths in and remind yourself of something good from your day on each inhale. You could even let go of something troubling you on the long exhale – but don’t try this until you’ve got the gratitude habit in place.
What does this have to do with wellness? It is a practice that will lead to the transformation that comes from the ‘renewing of your mind’. (Romans 12:2)
Be, 365 Devotions for Women
The Fiona Castle and Friends book Be is available at all good bookshops or to buy online, use the button below