Episode 5 - The Blessing and Science of Gratitude: What Are You Thankful For?

After listening this episode, you will be able to engage deeply with the transformative power of gratitude. By responding to carefully crafted questions for gratitude journaling, you will explore how expressing thankfulness can shift your mood, provide new insights, and enhance your social connections. You will also learn about the scientific basis of gratitude, including its effects on areas of the brain involved in moral cognition, value judgment, and theory of mind. Through a personal anecdote, Dr. Reynolds will illustrate the  emotional impact of gratitude experienced in a brief, yet profound interaction. After listening this episode you will begin to develop a deeper appreciation for the many blessings in your life. 

OUTLINE

1. Introduction 
2. Questions for Gratitude Journaling 
3. Impact of Gratitude Journaling
4. Scientific Perspective on Gratitude
5. Personal anecdote 
6. A Prayer of thanksgiving 
7. Special Note on Release of Episodes

Key Resources/ References

• Article/ White Paper: The Science of Gratitude 
•  Video Series: 12 Gratitude Journal Activities 

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DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are solely my own and do not reflect or represent the positions, policies, or opinions of my employer, any organization or academic institution with which I am affiliated. This podcast is a personal initiative, and is not connected to my official/ formal duties and responsibilities as a university professor.

Transcript

Welcome to Faith Meets Academia, Biblical Foundations for Scholarly Pursuits. I'm your host, Dr. Adrian Reynolds. Thanks for joining me on this transformational journey where the sacred and the scholarly converge.

As a university professor and ordained minister, I stand at the intersection of educational innovation and biblical wisdom. Are you tired of having to separate your spiritual calling from your academic profession? If so, you've found your community.

In this community, we use biblical principles to illuminate our scholastic endeavors. In this community, we leverage academic concepts and theories to magnify the reach and impact of our spiritual gifts. Yes, your faith and your scholarship can forge a mutually sustaining partnership.

I'm here to help you bridge the gap between your academic work and your spiritual journey.

Hello, hello! Welcome, welcome to episode five of Faith Meets Academia.

Can you believe it? We're already on episode five.

I mean, time really flies.

I hope your week is off to a productive start, and I pray it'll end on a great note. I must say, this episode is very different than the one I had planned to release due to a recent encounter that I had; and I'm gonna share that encounter with you in a few minutes.

Today, we'll focus our thoughts on this one truly important question: What are you thankful for? What are you thankful for?

After listening to this episode, you will be able to engage deeply with the transformative power of gratitude. By responding to carefully crafted questions for gratitude journaling, you will explore how expressing thankfulness can shift your mood, provide new insights, and enhance your social connections. You will also learn a little bit about the scientific basis of gratitude, including its effects on areas of the brain involved in moral cognition, value judgment, and what is referred to as the theory of mind.

Through a personal anecdote, I will illustrate the emotional impact of gratitude experienced in a brief, yet profound encounter. Together, we will explore how we can foster a deeper appreciation for the many blessings in our lives. To begin, there are four simple questions I'd like for you to answer.

You could write out your responses by hand, or you could type them. First question: How did I make someone else's day better? Second question: What opportunities did I have today that others might not have?

Third, who made a positive impact on my life recently and how? And finally, describe three things that happened today that made you feel thankful. You could respond to these in any order you wish.

How did you feel after answering these four questions?

Did you notice a shift perhaps in your mood?

Did you gain any new insights?

Did you feel more connected to those around you?

Or maybe find a renewed sense of purpose, meaning, or appreciation for your everyday life? If you responded to these questions, guess what? You just engaged in what they call gratitude journaling.

And you can take this practice and make it your own. It might not be four questions; it might be three or two or just one.

Just one question a day that provides you with the opportunity to express thankfulness in a very intentional way. When we take the time to acknowledge and appreciate the goodness in our lives through thanksgiving and acts of kindness, this powerful emotion called gratitude not only uplifts our spirits but also fundamentally alters the workings of our brain. The formal study of gratitude in academia began relatively recently in the field of psychology around the late 1990s.

Psychologists started to focus more on positive emotions and their impact on mental health and well-being as part of this new direction in the field of psychology referred to as positive psychology. As a side note, there is this one scripture that epitomizes or perfectly represents, in my view, the field of positive psychology.

And it turns out to be one of my favorite scriptures. I usually never end a sermon without this scripture.

And that's Philippians 4:8: "Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Yes, based on the research, it turns out that gratitude does much more than just make us feel happier.

When we experience or express gratitude, it activates several key areas in our brain. The first of these is involved in moral cognition, which is crucial for processing our sense of right and wrong, and understanding our own moral behaviors and that of others. Feeling grateful often involves appreciating the good things in life, which engages this part of the brain.

In addition to that, gratitude stimulates the part of the brain responsible for value judgment. This area plays a significant role in helping us evaluate and appreciate the worth of something, whether it's an act of kindness we've received or some positive aspect of our lives. Recognizing the value of what others have done for us is a key component of gratitude.

Gratitude also enhances what is referred to as our theory of mind. And that is our ability to understand that other people have their own unique thoughts and desires and feelings. This cognitive skill is important for social interactions and building relationships.

It's enhanced by gratitude.

As we think about and reflect on how the actions of others have positively impacted our lives. Really, gratitude not only enriches our emotional states, but also engages and fine-tunes, if you will, our brain's ability to navigate and appreciate our social interactions. And speaking of social interactions, I recently had quite an illuminating encounter with a total stranger.

My 7-year-old daughter and I walk into this coffee shop to grab a bite after her violin rehearsal.

While waiting to place our order, my daughter is being her usual energetic, joyful, curious self, jumping around, singing, laughing, making funny faces, questioning every other word that comes out of my mouth—the usual thing. I'm giving her hugs and kisses.

I'm just experiencing a moment of absolute happiness.

We're enjoying each other's company.

Just waiting in line.

Just waiting in line. And basking in every moment of it. Side note.

Check out episode 4 on being fully present. I guess I was trying to practice what I preach, right?

Whether you're having a good time, you know, we place our order.

And then a tall older gentleman who's next in line takes a couple steps toward me. He leans over. He points at me with a warm smile and says, “Sir, you're a very lucky dad.”

I go, “Excuse me?” Either I was shocked by what he had said or maybe just didn't expect him to say that or I didn't hear him. But in any case, I said, “Excuse me?”

And he repeats, “You're a very lucky dad.” I smiled back and said, “Thank you. Thank you.”

In that moment, a flood of gratitude just overwhelmed me. It really moved me to tears just thinking about how blessed my wife and I are to have these two God-centered children who bring so much joy and meaning to our lives. Feeling overwhelmed with gratitude, I give my daughter an even tighter hug.

I kiss her on the forehead, tell her I love her, and express how blessed I am that God chose me to be her dad.

Now, I must mention, just in case my son listens to this episode, the love I have for you, son, is no less, you know that, no less than the love I have for your little sister. But I've come to discover that such public displays of affection are somehow, somehow embarrassing for a 14-year-old boy. Hey, I guess he's just in that phase, but son, you have my heart, you know.

Oh, the story doesn't end there. As my daughter and I enjoyed our meal together, the same gentleman, I watched him, he leaves his table, walks over to us from the far end of the room, holds up his phone and proudly says, "Look, these are my three grandkids," pointing to the picture on his phone as he introduces them one after the other with excitement and a sense of gratitude that was palpable. In this encounter, it was clear that we shared a mutual feeling of thankfulness.

He was happy for me and I was happy for him. This was one of a kind encounter that I'll never forget. It was a vivid reminder of the incredible impact of gratitude in our daily lives.

In that moment, nothing else mattered but feeling thankful. I think it's appropriate that I close this episode with a prayer of thanksgiving.

Give ear to my words, O Lord.

Consider my meditation. Harken unto the voice of my cry, my King and my God, for unto thee will I pray. Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice.

Have mercy also upon me and answer me. From the end of the earth, David says, will I cry unto thee.

When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I. Give ear, O shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock, thou that dwellest between the cherubims.

Shine forth, shine the light of your countenance upon us and give us of your everlasting peace, a peace that passeth all understanding.

David declares that it is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord and to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High, to show forth thy loving kindness in the morning and thy faithfulness every night upon an instrument of ten strings and upon the psaltery, upon the harp with a solemn sound, David says in the 92nd number of the Psalms. For thou, Lord, has made me glad through thy work. I will triumph in the works of thy hands.

O Lord, how great are thy works and thy thoughts are very deep. Lord, we thank you today for sustaining us with the breath of life just from one day to the next. For with thee, O Lord, there is the fountain of life and in thy light shall we see light.

Lord, we thank you for your protection, for giving your angels of goodness and mercy charge over us, hiding us where the enemy cannot find us. Lord, we thank you for your mercy, your compassion, your forgiveness. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not.

They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good, for his mercy endureth forever.

Lord, we thank you for daily food, clean drinking water, clean air, shelter from the storms of this life. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. We thank you.

We thank you. We come to you, Lord, with the spirit of thanksgiving. Lord, we thank you for your divine healing.

We know that many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth us out of them all. So today we declare deliverance in advance of any potential diagnosis.

We are claiming and proclaiming the victory because you have already fought and won all our battles by faith.

We see that our battles have been won. I say to you today, as Joshua declared to Israel, shout, for the Lord has given you the city. Prayer warriors, shout.

Come on and help me. Shout. Prayer ambassadors, shout.

Let's shout because you are an overcomer in the name of Jesus. Lord, we believe that when we shout before the physical manifestation of your victory, we confuse the enemy. Lord, we believe that when we shout before the physical manifestation of our victory, we can march in the heat of the battle with the mindset of a winner.

We can rejoice in the midst of the fire and watch God take down the enemy and break every yoke of bondage and set us free, set us loose. If the Son, Christ Jesus, therefore, shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. Yes, prayer warriors, let's shout.

For God has restored our peace.

Shout.

For God has restored our joy, even in the midst of your trials, of your sickness, of your doubts, of your fears. Shout in your spirit, for God has already delivered you.

Because the Word is planted deep within us.

Even if you have no voice, you can still shout. Even if you can't move your feet, you can still do a happy dance of praise. Why?

Because when the Spirit of the Lord is planted deep within your soul, you can praise Him regardless of your physical abilities. I can hear Jeremiah say his Word was in my heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones. Yes, I feel it today.

1 Thessalonians 5:18, "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

Psalm 30:4, "Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness." Psalm 63:6-7, "When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches, because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice." Psalm 95:1-3, "O come, let us sing unto the Lord, let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto Him with Psalms, for the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods."

O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy, His mercy endureth forever.

The prophet Isaiah says, for the Lord will comfort Zion.

He will comfort all her waste places, and He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord.

Joy and gladness shall be found therein. Thanksgiving and the voice of melody. The voice of melody.

Philippians 4:6, "Be careful for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving."

With thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God.

And to those who may feel like there is no reason to be thankful, just repeat these words, repeat these words. Lord, I thank you for being alive. For the air I breathe, and for the strength to face another day.

Yes, I'm weary, I'm tired. But I know your strength is made perfect in my weakness.

So even in my weakness, I can confidently declare, I am strong.

Jude 24:25, "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen."

St. Matthew 6:9-14, Jesus says to his disciples, "After this manner therefore pray ye, Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors, And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil, For thine is the kingdom and the power And the glory forever."

Amen. If this episode has been a blessing to you, feel free to share it with others who might also find hope and inspiration in our journey together.

Also, leave a review to help spread the word.

Together, let's continue to explore this powerful intersection of faith and academia.

Your support makes a big difference in building this community.

If you're in need of prayer, also feel free to submit a prayer request.

You can find that link in the show notes. Finally, thanks for your patience and continued support as I adjust to this new podcast routine. There's been some delays in the release of a few episodes, but nonetheless, I've delivered one episode per week for the past five weeks, and there's no turning back.

No turning back.

We're moving forward.

Until next week, stay thankful.