Keeping a Gratitude List of HIS Gifts

I just read this from Ann Voskamp in an email update of her blog "A Holy Experience." Because I am keeping a gratitude list I was keenly interested in reading these benefits from studies.

Why bother keeping a gratitude list of His gifts?

Because if you keep a gratitude list, you:

1. Have a relative absence of stress and depression. (Woods et al., 2008)

2. Make progress towards important personal goals (Emmons and McCullough, 2003)

3. Report higher levels of determination and energy (Emmons and McCullough, 2003)

4. Feel closer in their relationships and desire to build stronger relationships (Algoe and Haidt, 2009)

5. Increase your happiness by 25% — (Who wouldn’t want a quarter more happiness!) (McCullough et al., 2002)

Who doesn’t want all that? Just three gifts a day. 

“… that habit of discontentment, it can only be driven out by hammering in iron that is even sharper —
The sleek pin of gratitude.” ….
~ {One Thousand Gifts}