Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:07] Speaker A: Chuck here on this Thursday, when we're in week two of Advent. Advent week two is all about peace. If you've been around the weekday podcast very long, knowing that we've been recording this for years now, you know that one of my favorite subjects is gratitude.
One of the things that I have personally discovered is, and science supports this as well as scripture, is that peace is not something you stumble into when life finally calms down. Peace is something you discover as you practice active gratitude right in the middle of the noise.
Research, neuroscience and scripture are all saying the same thing, and I'm living proof that it's absolutely true. A thankful heart is a more peaceful heart. The question is, how does gratitude actually shape and reshape our brains? Well, scientists are seeing that when you practice gratitude, your brain literally changes. Studies show that simple gratitude exercises, like writing down things you're thankful for, can lower anxiety and depression.
It increases life satisfaction and boosts overall mental health.
Gratitude activates brain regions tied to emotion and memory and helps release those feel good chemicals like dopamine and serotonin, which help regulate our mood and our stress. That means gratitude is not just a nice Christian or Christmas idea. It's a God designed pathway in your body. When you give thanks, you're actually training your brain to notice goodness instead of only danger, hope instead of only threat, possibility instead of only problems. And over time, that training creates an inner environment where peace can grow in your soul.
So you say, okay, Chuck, I got the science. And I mean, you're saying this works for you, but what does the Bible say? Well, Paul writes in first Thessalonians these words, be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong in Christ Jesus.
Not thankful for all circumstances, but thankful in them. Let's say that again. Not thankful for all circumstances, but thankful in them. Gratitude is God's will because it keeps drawing your eyes back to who God is. Even when life is an ideal.
Paul connects gratitude directly to peace. Again, back to Philippians chapter four. Don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything.
Tell God what you need and thank him for all he's done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.
Notice the order. Pray, thank, then peace. Gratitude isn't an add on. It's part of the pathway into God's peace that guards your heart and your mind. So here's three practical ways to discover peace through gratitude.
Instill a 34 thing morning habit. Before you touch your phone, speak or write down three specific things you're thankful for. By the way, the science says when you write them down, it's far more powerful.
People, moments, provisions, anything. Research shows that even short, regular gratitude practices increase positive mood and resilience. Spiritual Spiritually speaking, you're you're starting your day saying, God, I see your goodness here, here and here.
Second, practice gratitude in the middle of stress. When worry hits, don't just pray the problem. Add thanks. God's here's what I'm facing. And thank you that you've been faithful, for I know you'll be faithful again.
See, you're not denying the stress. You're inviting peace into it. And third, have a little end of the day peace check in before bed scan your day. Name three grace moments, small or big, where you saw kindness, provision or beauty. Studies link gratitude with better sleep and lower stress hormones. So as you thank God for those moments, you're letting peace tuck your heart in for the night. Gratitude doesn't erase difficult things, y', all, but it does reframe them. It keeps you rooted in the God who is with you, for you and ahead of you. And in that space, peace isn't just an idea, it becomes your lived experience.
Friends, thanks so much for joining me on this journey through peace this week. I'll be back tomorrow on Friday to wrap up week two of Advent. And thanks so much for joining me on today's weekday podcast. Bye now.
