Gratitude, Thanks, & Joy
I listened to a podcast recently about the spiritual discipline of joy. During this excellent discussion, I thought about Henri Nouwen’s well-known quote, "Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day." I hope you’ll join me for some thoughts and a prayer about choosing joy.
Nicole Zasowski, licensed marriage and family therapist, and author of What if It’s Wonderful? – Release Your Fears, Choose Joy, & Find the Courage to Celebrate, said not only is joy a spiritual discipline we can cultivate, but thanksgiving that flows from gratitude is an important practice in this process. According to Zasowski, gratitude is an interior attitude of appreciation, and thankfulness is the outward manifestation of that inward gratitude.
She illustrated with a familiar story from the Bible. Jesus healed ten lepers from their terrible, isolating disease. Later, one man returned to Jesus to thank him, and Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?” (See Luke 17:11-19)
As I thought about this story, I imagined every one of those men was filled with deep interior gratitude for freedom that came with their healing, but for whatever reasons, only one saw fit to express thanks. The significance of thanksgiving did not go unnoticed by Jesus.
I liked this prayer that incorporates joy and thanksgiving, taken from Evelyn Underhill’s Prayer Book (p. 96)
Grant us, O Lord, the royalty of inward happiness and the serenity which comes from living close to You. Daily renew in us the sense of joy that we may bear about us the infection of a good courage and meet all life’s ills and accidents with gallant and high-hearted happiness, giving You thanks always and for all things.
Amen
I hope these thoughts about joy and thanksgiving have been meaningful to you. They challenge me to be more intentional about choosing joy daily. Also, since others oftentimes don’t know we are grateful until we express thanks, I want to become more generous with sincere expressions of thanksgiving to God and to one another.
I will begin by saying a sincere, hearty “Thank You!” to each of you who take time to read these Listening on the Journey … blog posts.
Blessings for a joyful journey,
