Thankfulness is easily caught; it’s contagious. Spend a few minutes around someone who speaks from a thankful heart about what God is doing in their life and you’ll find yourself feeling thankful as well. Spend that same amount of time around someone caught up in themselves and speaking disappointment with what God hasn’t done and you’ll find feelings of disappointment and despair.

Thankfulness is less stressful. Having a thankful heart is experiencing a lighter heart. Being thankful resonates with our souls and brings relief to our physical beings. If laughter is a “good medicine” think about what medicine thankfulness provides to your spirit.

Thankfulness is an absence of contention. It’s hard to be angry and causing friction when you are practicing a spirit of thankfulness. Expressing thankfulness for the normal everyday things of life is seeing those things as important too. For those who are involved in generating those “normal, everyday and routine” acts of service that effect you, it is amazing what a word of thanks will do to encourage them. Who cleans your office at work? Thank them. Who does your wash each week? Thank them. Who washes and maintains your car? Thank them. Thankfulness is the spirit of Christ Himself. When we are thankful, we are actually worshipping God. “…Let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably…” (Hebrews 12: 28)

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace…his peace will guard your hearts and minds…” (Philippians 4:6)