Thankfulness: A Best Practice from Psychology
Over the last couple of years, I’ve listened a good deal to John MacArthur. I don’t always agree with him, but I appreciate how he always makes me think. One recurring theme in his sermons is how the Church should stop substituting psychology in its messages instead of doctrine. On the whole, I agree that it’s dangerous and foolish to emphasize the teachings of men instead of Biblical truths; that’s something that particularly angered Jesus when He dealt with the Pharisees. However, I have found at least one tip from psychology that has helped me in my spiritual walk.
I got the idea from the Great Course’s Introduction to Psychology by Dr. Catherine A. Sanderson. I love the Great Courses, which are recordings of award-winning professors teaching courses in a diverse array of subjects. (I will warn you, however, that most of the religious ones are completely opposed to orthodox Christianity.) Anyway, Dr. Sanderson recommended finding five things to be grateful for each and every day. She said this best practice from psychology actually reworks the wiring in your brain.
My question to most people in the psychological field is, “Grateful to whom?” If you’re a materialist, you don’t believe there are any cosmic forces ordering events so that you receive good things. All you have are impersonal forces and circumstances that can’t give a farthing about you. As a religious practice, however, this is a great idea!
Thankfulness to God is not only a good idea, but a requirement. When Paul indicts the entire human race of sin before God, he can find nothing more fundamentally sinful than, “Because that when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful” (Romans 1:21, KJV). Paul says in I Corinthians that every good thing we enjoy comes from God, and that we shouldn’t arrogate credit for it to ourselves: “For who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it?” (4:7, KJV). Ingratitude to God is not only a serious sin, but it’s a driver for other sins as well.
I’ll admit, I used to have a lot of trouble with thankfulness to God. In my prayer list, I had a list of things to thank God for, and I pretty much just stuck to that in my prayers (and had trouble coming up with anything else). The exercise of finding 5 things to be grateful for, however, takes me deeper into my heart than a repeated list learned by rote. It helps to vary things up, although some good things pop up on my list for several days in a row. All this soul-searching opens my eyes to all kind of facets of my life where God has blessed me. It doesn’t have to be big things—little blessings count too. And it gets easier the more you do it! Somedays, I’ll be driving to work and suddenly think of something I’m grateful for, one gratitude leads to another, and in no time at all I’ve gotten my 5 things for the day plus some more.
I think I can say it probably has, in fact, rewired my brain to an extent. As a tax accountant, my job gets really stressful for six months out of the year. There’s what I call the “former deadlines” of March 15 and April 15, then a relaxed summer period before the “latter deadlines” for the stuff we extended back in the spring now due on September 15 or October 15. I started this little thought experiment over the summer, and I’ve been through one set of latter deadlines since then. Latter deadlines are typically worse than former deadlines because they’re the more complex clients, the last-minute clients, etc., and there’s no chance for a second extension. This year, however, I really haven’t been as anxious as I used to be during the weeks before a latter deadline. I think my new best practice has a lot to do with this.
It also seems to have helped me trust God and submit to His will more. I have taken life’s disappointments with a more even keel and assurance that God means good to me in them. This is something I’ve struggled with all my life, but now I can find comfort in “commit[ting] the keeping of [my soul] to Him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator” (I Peter 4:19, KJV).
So, although much of psychology today is mankind’s misguided attempt to rewire its brain to find happiness apart from God, it’s not without its little nuggets of wisdom. When it conforms to God’s revelation in His Word, it’s a good idea to listen. This holiday season, in addition to Thanksgiving itself, I challenge you to find 5 things to be grateful to God for each and every day, and see if you don’t grow closer to God from the experience.