Gratitude as a Super Power

For what are you grateful this day?

Thus begins the Ignatian Examen, a spiritual practice for the end of a day which helps us examine our day.  The Examen begins with gratitude.  For what am I grateful today? 

As you sort through your day, seeking something for which you can express gratitude, you find your day transformed.  On wonderful days, you can’t help but be filled to the brim and over with the joy that erupts.  On your darkest days, this small moment of gratitude provides a light within the darkness and points towards hope for the next day.

Today, I give thanks for………..  This little exercise calls us back into relationship with the God of all creation, the one we call ‘good’.  It pulls us up, easing the weight of the mundane and inconveniences and reminds us of God’s presence and partnership in this experiment we call ‘life.’  In order to summon up a moment of gratitude, we must put down our complaints and wounds and sorrows……..even if just for a moment……and bring to mind that moment of grace or joy or forgiveness or kindness or respite which found us during the hours past. 

Gratitude resets our spiritual compass.  It is such an effective healing tool that spiritual directors, mental health professionals, and 12 step groups encourage the practice of naming the blessings we have received.  It is a practice that cuts across generations, cultures, racial barriers, and every other kind of divider we can imagine.   Where did I find life today?  Where did someone take care of me, protect me?  Who reminded me that being human is difficult work?  It is a beginning point for growing deeper in our relationship with God.

Both individuals and families can make Gratitude a practice.  Some folks use a Gratitude Journal, taking a moment every evening to identify places for gratitude in their life that day.  Some families use dinner time for conversation that includes this enduring question, “For what am I grateful today?” (Sometimes phrased and 'highs' of the day).  Both the very young and the very old can participate.  Some parents use that vital last 3 minutes before the lights go out for the night to have this conversation with their children.  Spouses can easily ask one another this simple question.

Practicing Gratitude is probably the most powerful tool we have in our tool box.  It will transform us as individuals, as families and as communities of faith.  No longer are we weighed down by our shortcomings.  No longer are we convinced that we have nothing for which to give thanks.  No longer do we move through our day unaware of the moments - large and small- where God’s Spirit of Life and Love is breaking into our day and making moments of gratitude. 

Even in times of loss and sorrow, recognizing a moment of gratitude can steady us and move us into the future. Practicing Gratitude will spill over into every aspect of your life; not because you will have more, but because you will see the giftedness in what you have received this day. 

Are you willing to risk being grateful?  How can you or your family begin to intentionally share your moments of grace regularly?  There are some clever ideas out there especially for including younger family members. (pinterest is always a good resource for these).

For what are you grateful today?  That simple question could transform your life.