November 21 , 2010

Gratitude is the fairest blossom which springs from the soul.
Henry Ward Beecher

Remember Robinson Crusoe? One of the first things this shipwrecked sailor did after landing on this desert island was to make a list. He wrote down all his problems on one side. On the other side he wrote down all his blessings.

"I don't have any clothes."……........."But it's warm and I don't really need any."
"All of the provisions were lost."……."But there is plenty of fresh fruit and water on the island." He continued this list. And he discovered that for every negative aspect of his situation, there was also a positive aspect, something for which to be thankful.

Martin Rinkhart, a Lutheran pastor during the Thirty-Years War in the 17th Century, would echo this process. Many fled to the walled city of Eilenburg, Saxdony for safety. The result was overcrowding, pestilence and famine.

During the worst of the plague in 1637, Rinkart was the only surviving pastor in Eilenberg, conducting as many as 50 funerals in a day. He performed more than 4000 funerals in that year, including that of his wife.

One evening, exhausted after many funerals, when he thought he could not go any more, sat down, and in a moment of inspiration, penned the words of this now famous hymn:

Now thank we all our God with heart and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things hath done, in whom His world rejoices;
Who, from our mothers' arms hath blessed us on our way with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today .

Psychologist Robert Emmons, in a classic study at the University of California, recruited three groups. One kept a gratitude journal, one recorded only daily hassles, and the third wrote down neutral events. The results? The gratitude group exercised more regularly, reported fewer physical symptons and were more optimistic about the upcoming week.

As we approach this season of Thanksgiving and Advent, we can find plenty to stir up our doom and gloom. That seems to be a popular theme on Facebook pages. But on the other hand, we can be mindful of all the good gifts of God.

I think Robinson Crusoe, Pastor Rinkhart and Robert Emmons are onto something.