Enter his gates with thanksgiving and is courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Ps. 100:4. NIV
In the rich garden of virtues, gratitude is not only the soil but the sunshine and the rain-it is that vital. Gratitude is thankfulness no matter what. It is the ability to take a status report and then make a list of blessing. While not blind to problems, concerns, and deficits, it is the gift of being thankful for what we have rather than complaining about what we don’t.
Chester W. Nimitz was selected as commander of the United States Pacific Fleet just 10 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. On Christmas Day 1941 Nimitz toured the terrible destruction in the harbor. Eight battleships, three cruisers, four destroyers, and five additional ships and one drydock of the Pacific Fleet had been sunk or badly damaged. Air craft damage included 188 destroyed and 159 damaged. The raid had killed 2,403 people (including 68 civilians) and wounded 1,178. U.S. forces had been whipped badly. Dejection, despondency, despair, and defeat filled every face. Afterward someone asked Nimitz for his thoughts. His reply was optimistic and upbeat, pointing out that the enemy had made three huge mistakes: 1. The attack on Sunday morning meant most of the military personnel were ashore, so casualties were comparatively light. 2. All the fuel for the Pacific theater was still available, because they hadn’t thought to include fuel storage tanks in the attack. 3. All but one of the drydocks for ship repair was unscathed. Most of the sunk or damaged ships were repairable, and, sitting close in shallow water, they could be back in business quickly.
Scientific research studies focusing on gratitude and reports of well being are getting definitive and consistent results. In one study by Emmons and McCullough (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 84, no. 2 [2003]: 377-389), those who wrote down their gratitude experiences daily enjoyed “higher levels of positive effect” and were more likely to help others or offer emotional support than those who journaled problems or neutral issues. The gratitude group also accomplished more of their personal goals. They also reported higher “levels of positive states,” such as enthusiasm, determination, and energy.
Lord, my heart bursts with gratitude to You. First You gave me life, then You let me know about Your love and gift of salvation and protection from evil; and to top it off, You have given me friends, family, and food to make the heart glad. What more could you ask for?