Gratefulness …

1. Can give you more energy. In one research study, participants kept a daily journal listing what they were grateful for. Another group recorded what annoyed them. Those who kept a ‘gratefulness’ journal had more energy and enthusiasm and were happier than the other group (Emmons & McCullough, 2003).

2. Can help you become more others-centered. In a study by the same researchers, participants also daily journaled what they were grateful for. In addition to similar results to the above cited study, they discovered an interesting side effect. Those in the ‘grateful’ group reported that they were more inclined to help others with a personal problem. They became what is called more “pro-social” (Emmons, 2006).

3. Can help you sleep better. Our brains and bodies need adequate sleep. When we don’t get enough sleep, our brains can’t consolidate our experiences from the day into our long-term memory. So, without refreshing sleep, our memory and cognitive function suffers. A Chinese study discovered that not only did gratitude improve sleep, but decreased depression and indirectly lowered anxiety (Korb, 2012). So, start and end your day with a grateful heart for more rejuvenating sleep.

4. Can make you physically feel better. When we are grateful, we activate brain regions associated with the feel-good transmitter dopamine. Gratefulness also increases the mood neurotransmitter serotonin and the trust hormone oxytocin. When dopamine is released, it evokes a “do that again” response. So, a grateful heart can feed on itself and help us want to repeat it. It’s called the ‘virtuous cycle.’ We simply have to start the process by choosing to be grateful.

5. Can help you become less materialistic. Several studies have shown that people with higher levels of gratitude are more likely to have lower than average traits of materialism (McCullough, 2002).This finding reminds of Jesus’ words, In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20.35).

6. Can help combat negativity and the negative emotions that follow. Because our brain has five times more negative circuits than positive ones, we naturally tend to focus on the negative. It’s called the brain’s ‘negativity bias.’ When we are grateful it forces our brain to think about the positive. The Apostle Paul understood this when he wrote Phil. 4.8. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Not only does science speak to gratefulness, it also fills the pages of Scripture.

1Th. 5.16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Psa. 100.3 Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

Col. 3.16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God

If you want to learn even more about gratitude, watch this TEDx talk on The Happiness Advantage: Linking Positive Brains to Performance and read the book Thanks! How Practicing Gratitude Can Make You Happier.

An old saying about gratitude goes like this.

If you’ve forgotten the language of gratitude, you’ll never be on speaking terms with happiness.

Don’t forget the language of gratitude today!  

Dr. Charles Stone, West Park Church, Ontario, Canada 2015

Churchleaders.com

STEP 2…………………….……………….………………HOW IT WORKSheet

We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.  “For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fullfil His good purpose.”   (Philippians 2:13)

Directions-  ask the Lord to prepare your heart and mind to read and answer the following questions:

• Read each question through at least twice, resting and pondering on each question and allowing yourself time to respond as you are ready.
• Give time to meditate on each answer, or journal your answers, and consider how the questions and your responses impact your feelings, your mood, your thoughts and your beliefs. The key is to move through the questions in a deeply intentional way rather than blindly follow instructions or rush through the process. You will benefit from being as honest and thorough as possible.
• Read and PRAY through the Principle One Prayer.
• When you are ready, share your answers with an accountability partner or sponsor, and pray together. This sharing is critical – this is how we begin to heal… READ James 5:16                                    —————————————————————————————————-

1. Before taking this step and considering God’s power to change your life, where were you trying to find hope? Did you find lasting hope and relief?
2. What do you believe about God? What are some of His characteristics?
3. What do you believe about God? What are some of His characteristics? How does it feel to know God is your Heavenly Father and honestly cares about every thought, every experience, every emotion that you have ever had?
4. How are your feelings for your heavenly Father and your earthly father alike? How do they differ?
5. What area of your life, which hurt, habit or hang-up are you ready to trust God with?
6. When you consider trusting God with your hurts, habits and hang-ups, what do you feel? What emotions do you experience?
7. Imagine how it will feel to not be controlled, burdened or hurt by that pain or concern any longer? How does that feel? What emotions do you experience?
8. If you experience fear or uncertainty when considering trusting God with your hurt, habit or hang-up, what can you do to bring your focus back to His Truth, His Power and Willingness to take your burdens from you?

Serenity Prayer

Dear God, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. Living one day at a time, enjoying one moment at a time; accepting hardship as a pathway to peace, taking, as Jesus did, this sinful world as it is; not as I  would have it; trusting that You will make all things right if I surrender to Your will; so I may be reasonably happy in this life and supremely happy with You forever in the next. Amen

STEP 1………………………………………………………………………….HOW IT WORKSheet

We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable.

“For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.” (Romans 7:18)

Directions-  ask the Lord to prepare your heart and mind to read and answer the following questions:

• Read each question through at least twice, resting and pondering on each question and allowing yourself time to respond as you are ready.
• Give time to meditate on each answer, or journal your answers, and consider how the questions and your responses impact your feelings, your mood, your thoughts and your beliefs. The key is to move through the questions in a deeply intentional way rather than blindly follow instructions or rush through the process. You will benefit from being as honest and thorough as possible.
• Read and PRAY through the Principle One Prayer.
• When you are ready, share your answers with an accountability partner or sponsor, and pray together. This sharing is critical – this is how we begin to heal… READ James 5:16                                    —————————————————————————————————-

1. What areas of your life do you really have any power and control over?
2. What areas of your life are you realizing are out of control? Areas that make you feel powerless?
3. Can you pinpoint one time period in your life when your life began to feel unmanageable? If so, describe that period of time and what was happening.
4. Is there one incident or insight that stands out to you that made you realize that your life was unmanageable? If so, describe it in detail.
5. What does it feel like when your areas of your life are unmanageable?
6. How have you tried to control these areas in the past? How well have your efforts worked?
7. What areas are you ready to admit that you cannot control and that your life is unmanageable?
8. Are you ready to admit your need for God in these areas of your life? Are you willing to pray the Principle One Prayer?

Principle One Prayer

Dear God, Your Word tells me that I can’t heal my hurts, hang-ups and

habits by just saying that they are not there. Help me! Parts of my life, or all

of my life are out of control. I now know that I cannot “fix” myself. It seems

the harder that I try to do the right thing the more I struggle. Lord, I want to

step out of my denial into the truth. I pray for You to show me the way. In

Your Son’s name I pray, Amen

How to Get the Most Out of Your Group

Become active. The magic of recovery happens when you actively participate and share at meetings. Recovery doesn’t happen when you just sit passively and listen to other people. You recover when you’re honest – nakedly honest, and share what’s going on inside.

Remember, open share meetings are where you get to talk about your recovery and what’s going on inside. But don’t worry. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. You can pass. And it’s normal in the beginning to go a few times and just observe the process.

Be committed. Attend regularly. Some people attend for a few months, others go indefinitely. There is no one approach for everyone. The main reason to continue to go is to remind yourself of where you’ve been and how quickly you can get back there if you start using again. You also go to meetings to help others and to give back.

Use the help that other people offer you. 12 step groups are a generous and giving environment. People will offer to help you in many ways. They’ll offer to meet you for coffee, talk about your problems, or give you their phone number in case you want talk any time day or night. They’ve been through it before, and they know that recovery is hard work. In the beginning you may be overwhelmed by their generosity. But it is sincere.

Your tendency will be to not accept their help. You’ll think that you don’t want to be a bother, or that your problems aren’t that important. But they’re offering to help you because they want to help, and because they know that by helping you they’re also helping themselves. When they listen to your stories, they’re reminded of where they’ve been and what they need to do to remain clean and sober.

12 step groups are not like the rest of the world. When someone says “give me a call” in the outside world, maybe they mean it, maybe they don’t. In 12 step groups they mean it because they’ve been there. Therefore take advantage of the help they’re offering.

Get a sponsor and do step work. A sponsor is your own personal coach or teacher to help you through recovery. There are three levels of support in 12 step groups.

The first level is people who are general supports. They will offer to go out for coffee, give you a lift to a meeting, or give you their phone number. You can’t have enough friends like that.

The next level of support is an accountability partner. They’re someone who you would like to spend time with talking about recovery. They can be a sounding board. They can help you understand the format of meetings. They can call you and motivate you to go to meetings. They can also act as an early warning system to help you recognize if you’re in denial, or if you’re in the early stages of emotional relapse. You can have more than one accountability partner.

The final level of support is a sponsor. Once you’ve been in recovery for a while and you’ve checked out some of the meetings you’ll want to find a regular sponsor. They are a teacher to help you learn the 12 steps. The next two sections deal with finding a sponsor and doing step work.

taken from addictionandrecovery.org