This month, on Thursday, November 26, the USA celebrates the Thanksgiving holiday. Beyond the wonderful family gatherings, big meals, and historical references to the Pilgrims learning to grow crops in the new land, how can we pause to really consider what it means to live a life of thanksgiving?

As a former registered nurse, I always noticed that patients with a positive, upbeat, thankful attitude recovered much faster than those with a negative frame of mind. Later, I found studies that backed this observation. One report, titled “The Biology of Gratitude,” showed that the hypothalamus in the brain activates when we feel gratitude or show kindness, releasing dopamine (which not only helps us feel better but also opens the door to many neurological effects). In short, being thankful proved to help decrease pain, increase the duration and quality of sleep, boost the immune system, decrease blood pressure, decrease cortisol (the stress hormone) by 23%, help balance heart rate, decrease anxiety and depression, increase energy, improve self-esteem, job performance, and increase happiness.

No wonder the Bible says so much about thankfulness, mentioning it more than 100 times. One example is Psalm 100:4: “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Could the psalmist be suggesting that one can’t enter into the gates and courts of God without thanksgiving?

Sometimes thanksgiving is a sacrifice, as Psalm 116:17 says: “I will offer to You the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord.” One time years ago, while driving from Texas back to Canada from a vacation with our six children, a dog ran out in front of the road, resulting in an unavoidable collision that left the dog deceased and our van with a concerning rattling sound. After prayer, the Lord impressed on my heart to ask all our kids and my husband to join me in worship and thank God for all of His goodness, even as we also asked for help to drive the remaining 14 hours home. The atmosphere in the van shifted from one of anxiety to one of positive faith. Just a short time later, we saw a garage in a small town open at that early hour, and a mechanic fixed our van in 45 minutes for a very reasonable price. We knew God had intervened, and we knew God wanted us to model thankfulness for our children. Psalm 79:13 says: “So we, Your people and sheep of Your pasture, will give You thanks forever; we will show forth Your praise to all generations.”

To express thanks to those who help us, write notes of gratitude, keep a thanksgiving journal, and see the “glass” of life as half full rather than half empty shape our contentment and joy. A lifestyle of thankfulness is referred to in Psalm 30:12: “To the end that my glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever.”

It’s wonderful to celebrate Thanksgiving on November 26th. It’s even more amazing to live the principle for the other 364 days of the year.