All posts tagged: Thanksgiving

Expressing gratitude leads to a happier life, poll reveals

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A survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Motivosity, in July 2022 has concluded that the more thankful people are, the happier they are, StudyFinds reports. The poll involving over 2,000 Americans found that 65% of those surveyed who said they were very happy in life were also those who most often (always) expressed gratitude for things done for them. The survey also found that of the 35% who stated that they regularly expressed gratitude for their lives, 62% said they were also ‘very satisfied’ with their lives. Along this vein, the survey found that on average Americans expressed gratitude six times a month for kindnesses that someone had done for them and said they also received the same amount of expressions of gratitude. The survey also discovered that Americans living in the Southwest part of the US, 75%, were most often to express gratitude for things done to them while those living in the Southeast (68%) and Northeast (63%) were least likely to express gratitude. According to Motovosity VP Logan Mallory there is a …

How to become a fountain of life in times of trouble

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In your mind picture a fountain that you have seen in a park.  This is a picture I am holding in my mind as I walk through these days of uncertainty with riots, fires, rules and legislation changing during this Covi-19 panic.  These things have been weighing on many of us heavily and each day something new gets thrown onto the pile of rubbish. And I find this garbage growing in my mind, and occupying way too much space there. But like a stream that never stops flowing, even though garbage and rocks get thrown into it, if there is enough pressure, the water will find its way over, through, and around the obstacles.  If, there is enough pressure flowing from the source, then the stream is unstoppable. This is how God wants us to function in these days and always.  In John 7:38, Jesus said if we believe in Him that rivers of living water would flow out of us. We are to be the fountain life to everyone around us. The Holy Spirit …

Credit: Kerri Lee Smith/Flickr/Creative Commons

Cultivating thanksgiving

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Yesterday started out well but then in the afternoon I had a couple of hours of frustration when something didn’t go the way I wanted. I ended up taking two hours to complete a task that should have taken 10 minutes. But me, computers and technology don’t always see eye to eye. I quickly fell into a slump and was starting to get depressed. I was surprised how quickly things had taken a turn for the worse. I knew I needed to pull myself out of this slump and real quick. The Apostle Paul tells us to: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) All circumstances, describe good and bad and in the midst of bad we are to give thanks. Paul was right, because according to writer J.D. Roth, studies show that roughly 10% of our happiness is determined by our circumstances and 40% of our happiness comes from “intentional activity” which involves what we think and do. Knowing what will …

Pero's Bridge, Bristol, England with its two counterweights Credit: Adrian Pingstone/Wikipeida/Creative Commons

A counterweight to worry

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Pero’s Bridge is one of the world’s stranger looking bridges. Built in 1999, it is a pedestrian drawbridge that spans St. Augustine’s beach in Bristol, England. The two outside sections are attached to land and the inner section serves as a drawbridge that raises to allow boats to pass beneath. It has two distinctive, horn-like objects on either side of the bridge. At first glance, it seems they are nothing more than abstract art added to decorate the bridge. In fact, it is art, but they also serve as important counterweights that exert force in the opposite direction allowing the inner span to raise quickly. Also called a “bascule” bridge — French for “balanced scale” — people have used this type of design for centuries because counterweights raise bridge spans quickly and with relatively little energy. Like a bascule bridge, we all need something to counter what life throws at us. As you watch the media, a person can quickly be caught up worrying about world events and our rapidly changing society. We worry about …

Photo: Alesa Dam/Flickr

Is thanksgiving a key to unlocking answered prayer?

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This past year I realized I was receiving noticeable answers to prayer and I believe it was tied to thankfulness. I could keep praying, pleading and asking God for what was on my heart but I knew at some point I needed to start thanking Him for the answers as well. Although I did not understand it at the time, I believe the reason for my prayer answers was a result of consciously including thanksgiving in my petitions. Gratitude acknowledged my faith in God for answers I had not yet received. “Who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist.” (Romans 4:17 NKV) Thankfulness calls into being that which does not yet exist. It gives life to our requests, creating the movement that brings  answered prayer forward to the present. Being thankful for answers yet to come is the springboard to faith, the catalyst that gives life to our prayers. By being thankful, I was believing instead of doubting. An expectancy accompanied me throughout the day.  The spiritual atmosphere …

Could daily writing down three things to be thankful for save your life?

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[by Dean Smith] According to researchers at the University of California having a thankful heart can save your life. The group led by Professor Paul Mills studied the effects of thankfulness on 186 people who experienced a Grade B heart condition. People in this stage have some type of heart damage, perhaps even experienced a heart attack, and have since recovered. They need to make changes in lifestyle so they can avoid moving to Stage C where the chance of dying increases by 500%. First, the researchers ran a series of psychological tests to assess their study group. These results were then compared to the patient’s scores in other areas such as fatigue, depression, quality of sleep and “inflammatory markers” (inflammation increases heart risk). Speaking on behalf of the research team, Professor Paul Mills said: