The Healing Power of Thanks-Giving!

by James Allen

With American Thanksgiving being celebrated this week it seems appropriate to say something about giving thanks and just what a powerful thing it is.
In my therapeutic work with people, I have seen the power of giving thanks demonstrated over and over again. Whether people are struggling with things like anxiety, depression or other issues, often times there are subconscious memories, beliefs and thoughts that are producing negative feelings and moods. As we uncover these things together, one of the things I often do with clients is to help them express thanks to God for still being loved, accepted, cared for, forgiven, valuable, understood, or whatever seems most appropriate, even in the midst of whatever pain they are experiencing. It doesn’t mean that the pain automatically goes away, but the thanks-giving opens the door, if you will, for God to begin meeting that person in new, life-giving and redemptive ways.

I use the term “opens the door” above purposely as this is how scripture describes the role of thanksgiving in entering into God’s presence. In Psalm 100:4 it says, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.” Thanksgiving is like a key unlocking a door (or gate) in our minds and hearts that allows us to enter God’s presence no matter where we are or how painful the struggle we are dealing with. When we enter into God’s presence, there is real potential for change and transformation to occur in amazing ways.

Even as I write this, I am challenged to be more thankful in my daily life. Even if I am not struggling with something like depression, there are plenty areas of my life where I want to experience more of God’s presence. If I will just be more thankful, who knows how much more of God’s presence I could access in any given area of my life! So let’s all add some thankfulness to our daily lives. Yes, it takes some intentional effort, but you won’t know what you’re missing out on ‘til you give it a try!