{"id":11842,"date":"2025-06-05T11:26:44","date_gmt":"2025-06-05T17:26:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/freshhope.us\/more-on-gratitude\/"},"modified":"2025-09-02T17:25:54","modified_gmt":"2025-09-02T22:25:54","slug":"more-on-gratitude","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/freshhope.us\/es\/more-on-gratitude\/","title":{"rendered":"More on Gratitude"},"content":{"rendered":"

I lay face-down on the massage table, and settle my head into the round pad. I feel the tears come, as if the change in my position brings them forward; I try to squeeze them back. This massage is only \u00bd hour long \u2013 I don\u2019t have time to deal with all of these emotions coming to the surface.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The massage is #5 of 6 \u2013 \u00bd hour each to help relieve the spasm and tension that has been my left shoulder-blade\u2019s constant companion for months. Weeks of physical therapy brought no relief. Nor did dry-needling nor trigger point injections. Chiropractic is already a regular part of my routine, but it\u2019s not going to do anything to fix the damage to my cervical vertebrae \u2013 stenosis, arthritis, degenerative disc disease. That\u2019s one cause for the tears \u2013 the pain, and the realization that pain management is all I can do.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

A second cause for tears? Saying good-bye to my son after his visit over the holiday weekend. I love him (and his sister) so much, but he lives in IL, while I\u2019m in CO. We just don\u2019t get to see him often enough! Will I ever NO<\/em> cry when saying good-bye to family?<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Third reason for tears \u2013 recalling two years ago today, when my daughter and son-in-law got married. (Happy anniversary!) The memories are beautiful \u2013 the day was beautiful \u2013 the bride was beautiful! Such a special celebration, and I wish we lived closer to them so that we could reminisce in person, and go through the photo albums together. But again, they live across the country, and visits just aren\u2019t as frequent as I\u2019d like.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

More thoughts that bring tears: my aging parents, and living far from them, and from my sister and her family; the possibility of rehoming our cats; the frustration at not knowing the summer\u2019s details; the reduction in medication that I\u2019ve been on for 14 years. Given that last one, of course I\u2019m sad! The psych nurse said to give myself a full two weeks on the new dose before I decide if I should even be coming off the med. I\u2019ve been on it for so long, it\u2019s going to take a while for my body to adjust to the new levels. Gotta cut myself some slack \u2013 it\u2019s only been 5 days.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

So, as I lay here, and I fight the tears, and the memories, and the feeling-sorry-for-myself, I cry out to God. \u201cPlease, Lord, don\u2019t let me cry in front of my massage therapist! Help me replace these sad thoughts.\u201d And immediately<\/em>, the word GRATITUTDE comes to mind.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

\u201cYes, Lord.\u201d And I begin to count my blessings. Face down on the table, waiting for her to come in. The result is peace, and joy, and thanksgiving.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I\u2019m thankful for my family. I\u2019m thankful for financial resources. I\u2019m thankful for the brief relief I\u2019ll feel as the therapist digs into the knots in my back and stretches my neck. I\u2019m thankful for my home. For my new exercise routine. For finding new friends. For the opportunity to serve in ministry. Before I know it, the tears are gone, and my heart is full.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

And then I remember what I often share in our Fresh Hope Support Group: the brain can\u2019t hold gratitude thoughts and depression thoughts at the same time. Our brains can only concentrate on one thought in any given moment. So when I focused on grateful thoughts, those seemed to override the sad thoughts that were swirling though my brain.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

A little Google search reveals that there are contradictory viewpoints on this \u2013 maybe we can have two thoughts at once. But I would argue that one thought is going to rise above the other(s) and be more prominent. Hence, only one thought at a time. So, gratitude can override sadness, if only for a moment.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Philippians 4:8 NIV says, \u201cAnd now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Isaiah 26:3, NIV: \u201cYou will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Want to know what to think about? Think about God! About who He is, His character, His attributes. Think about Jesus, and the love He showed to all those He encountered while He was here on earth. Think about Jesus\u2019 gift of salvation: His death, burial, and resurrection, so that we can be restored into a right relationship with God. Think about the Holy Spirit \u2013 the Spirit of the Risen Christ (Romans 8:11) \u2013 living in us as Jesus\u2019 followers, a gift sent to us directly from God, to help us as we journey this earth.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

The same process holds true for anxious thoughts. They can be replaced with thankful ones, and while you\u2019re thinking about blessings and expressing gratitude, the anxiety will momentarily step aside. Keep practicing, and keep the anxious thoughts away!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

This is hard, though. I won\u2019t pretend otherwise. Again, as I sometimes describe it in our Fresh Hope Support Group, the negative thoughts (sad, or anxious ones) form a kind of groove in our brains. Like a well-worn path. And, like a tire on a Conestoga wagon, our thoughts want to drop right into that rut of thinking. It\u2019s easy, to fall into that old pattern. It takes effort \u2013 real conscious energy \u2013 to try to step out of that groove and start forming a new path. It takes practice, and repetition. And time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I attest to the fact that the habit of practicing gratitude works. And the more I do it, the more quickly it is effective.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

I encourage you\u2026give it a try. The next time you realize that you\u2019re thinking anxious or depressive thoughts \u2013 when you catch yourself \u2013 ask God to help you think of things to thank Him for. He will. He helps us do what He asks us to do. So when His Word tells us, like above, to think on Him and on good things, He\u2019ll help us do that!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

Peggy has been involved with Fresh Hope as a Group Facilitator for over 6 years and as the Hope Coach Trainer for over 4 years. She can be reached at peggy@freshhope.us.<\/em><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

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