2 minute read

Gratefully Gifted

by REV DR MICHAEL ZEIGLER, Speaker of The

Indiana University researchers recently studied how gratitude affects mental health. They worked with 300 adults, all of whom were struggling with issues related to depression and anxiety. They randomly assigned the people into three groups. All three groups received mental health counseling, but the first group was instructed to write a letter of gratitude to another person each week for three weeks. The second group was instructed to write their deepest thoughts and feelings in a journal. The third group didn’t have a writing assignment.

Weeks later, when everyone checked in again, they discovered that the first group, the ones who had written the gratitude letters, reported significantly better mental health. These results were confirmed by brain MRI scans. The researchers concluded that the simple act of expressing gratitude may help “train the brain to be more sensitive to the experience of gratitude down the line,” which may “contribute to improved mental health over time.”

Gratitude does good things for us. But where does it come from? For the apostle Paul and his coworker, Timothy, writing to Christians living in Colossae, gratitude comes from the Gospel. That is because the Gospel reveals the universe— all things—as a gift from God—an intentional, valuable, and practical gift.

It’s intentional because God had someone specific in mind when He created it. For whom did God create it? We may be quick to say, “For us!” But this is only partly true. In Colossians 1:16, we hear that the gift is “for” Jesus, God’s Son. All things were created through Him and for Him. And like guests at a party, we are invited into that gift (Luke 14:23). And it is a valuable gift. It cost Jesus His blood, His life (Col 1:20-22). God thought you were worth dying for—you and everyone you meet. Finally, it is a practical gift. It is not a gag gift, but something given for everyday life. God intends to dwell in and with His gift, forever (Col 1:27).

A few years ago, my wife and I attended a ceramics class. We learned how to create pottery on a spinning wheel. It was my first time, and most of my projects fell apart as I was making them. But I did succeed in creating one little bowl. Now, years later, that prized little bowl has a practical place in our home. Its value doesn’t come from its performance or intrinsic qualities. I choose to value it for personal reasons. And I love seeing my family members use it, for small things, like holding spicy mayo for dipping tater tots. It brings me joy, not only because I created and refined it, but also because it is practical. It is part of our life.

This Gospel gives us a grateful way of seeing the world and our place in it. The universe was created to be a gift for God’s Son, Jesus. This gift includes you and me, and everyone we meet. And not for anything we have done or could do, but for personal reasons (for love!), God and His Son treasure this gift. When an enemy had taken it captive in a domain of darkness (Col 1:13), Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice to win it back. Everyone you meet, everything you see, and every place you go was included in that ransom price, because God intends to dwell with us, now by His Spirit, and forever in His fullness, when Jesus returns in glory. Go read Colossians, chapter 1. See what it does for your gratitude. u

Adapted from a message for The Lutheran Hour aired January 8, 2023.

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