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I Am Thankful
As we approach our annual feast of Thanksgiving, we often spend at least a few moments
considering all that we are thankful for in our lives.
But thankfulness (or gratitude) is part of a complex process in the human being. It serves a
purpose, most of which we are not consciously aware.
Gratitude is an internal characteristic, where we are appreciative of the kindness or generosity of others toward us. But generosity is an external expression of our thankfulness or gratitude.
Gratitude can inspire compassion and generosity. If we are attuned to the nature of what we have been given/forgiven by others, it can cause us to turn that around and act similarly toward still others. Gratitude can change our perspective and make us more aware of the needs around us.
Who doesn’t feel compelled to pitch in and help a neighbor whose home is destroyed by fire? Or bring meals to a friend’s family when one of them is sick or injured? Or are encouraged to join with others to fix up the homes of the elderly or decorate gravesites in the veterans’ cemetery for the holidays or stand in honor as the casket of a fallen hero passes by?
Gratitude can help us see that generosity encompasses much more than money. Too often, our decisions in life are bound up in a transactional framework – what can I do for someone so that I can benefit from the act? Yet, gratitude can actually alter the way we “think” by eliciting moral behaviors, reciprocity or a “pay-it-forward” attitude. For example, being thankful for our homes can make us more inclined to practice hospitality. Or being thankful in planning a holiday feast, we may take food to a community dinner for the homeless and those who have no family to join them.
As I indicated in my sermon this past Sunday, there is a physiological connection in our brains between generosity and gratitude: the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in the brain processes risk and reward evaluations. This connects to deeper brain regions that release pleasurable neurochemicals, which predisposes humans to respond to acts of kindness and generosity with gratitude – both of which result in our feeling good; about ourselves and our circumstances as well as our ability to help others with our resources.
It’s similar to the “runner’s high” that long-distance athletes experience. I’d like to call it the “giver’s high”!
Which brings me to the point of this article. I have served the faith community of Good Shepherd for almost seven years now. And I have been in ordained ministry for twenty-five years. My family spent four years prior to that in seminary preparation. Thirty years of ministry and I am so thankful for each and every year, every challenge, every disappointment, every baptism, every confirmation, every wedding, every funeral, every hard conversation, every joyous celebration and every relationship. I have seen my children grow into fine adults. I have watched as family members mature and take new steps in their lives. I have gained many friends – and lost a few – both inside and outside the congregation.
I have much for which to be thankful.
Shalom.
Pastor Mark
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