Where There is Gratitude, There Can Be No Fear.
I was at a series of Christian concerts this summer, and one night one of the artists got up and talked about the concept of gratitude and fear. There have been studies of the brain that show that the places that fear and anxiety exist, are the exact same places that gratitude presents itself. This being said, our brains cannot be in a state of active appreciation and fear at the same time. The two cannot co-exist.
Where there is fear, there is no place for gratitude. Yet where there is gratitude, there can be no fear. Your brain literally blocks out the ability for fear to be present.
This year has been a challenge for me. It has passed by in the blink of an eye and left me with more questions than answers. Places in my life that once felt solid, have at times felt shaky and unstable. In those moments, one of the furthest things from my lips has been gratitude.
My sister and I have this practice. Whenever the world feels particularly crappy and terrible, we try to come up with 5 things that we’re grateful for. Sometimes those 5 things are a challenge, but none the less, they are there. It is amazing what this does to our mindset. It doesn’t have to be anything mind blowing, but taking the time to consciously come up with 5 things that you are thankful for, in the times when you feel the least thankful, has the ability to change your entire direction.
In Christianity, there is this idea of bringing worship and praise to God even in the times that you feel the furthest away from that faith. I think this act of worship has the same ability to bring us into that place of gratitude, despite our fears.
In this world of broken hallelujahs, may we have the strength to trade in our fears for gratitude in the places that we feel the most lost.
Where there is fear, there is no place for gratitude. Yet where there is gratitude, there can be no fear. Your brain literally blocks out the ability for fear to be present.
This year has been a challenge for me. It has passed by in the blink of an eye and left me with more questions than answers. Places in my life that once felt solid, have at times felt shaky and unstable. In those moments, one of the furthest things from my lips has been gratitude.
My sister and I have this practice. Whenever the world feels particularly crappy and terrible, we try to come up with 5 things that we’re grateful for. Sometimes those 5 things are a challenge, but none the less, they are there. It is amazing what this does to our mindset. It doesn’t have to be anything mind blowing, but taking the time to consciously come up with 5 things that you are thankful for, in the times when you feel the least thankful, has the ability to change your entire direction.
In Christianity, there is this idea of bringing worship and praise to God even in the times that you feel the furthest away from that faith. I think this act of worship has the same ability to bring us into that place of gratitude, despite our fears.
In this world of broken hallelujahs, may we have the strength to trade in our fears for gratitude in the places that we feel the most lost.
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