Get in the Grateful Groove! Rev. Teresa Stuefloten, M.Div. 6/28/2026

Good morning! This is Rev Teresa. Today I am talking about gratitude, the practice of being grateful for all of the blessings in our life every day, the big blessings and the small blessings. My talk is titled, “Get in the Grateful Groove!”

Our blessings come from our Divine Source. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variableness nor shadow of change.” (Lamsa Aramaic translation)

Psalm 100:1-5 A Psalm for giving thanks, says, “Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; come before his presence with singing. Know that he is the Lord our God: it is he who has made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful to him and bless his name; For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endures to all generations. (Lamsa)

We are to be grateful for all of our blessings and not take them for granted. When we are focused on gratitude we are able to see the blessings in our life and we feel truly blessed.

An article by the American Brain Foundation, November 26, 2025, titled, “Does Gratitude Rewire Your Brain?” cites recent research into the benefits of gratitude. Quoting the article:

THE BRAIN SCIENCE of GRATITUDE

   “How would you describe the experience of gratitude? You might say it’s a warm, fuzzy feeling you get when other people express their appreciation for you, or when you appreciate them. Gratitude is a feeling, but it’s also the deliberate act of acknowledging an external source for something you value, whether that source is another person, a community, or a deity or spiritual concept. Psychologically, expressing and receiving thanks can be enormously validating, and your brain rewards you for it by releasing neurotransmitters (organic chemicals for transmitting signals through the nervous system) that make you feel happier.”

   “Gratitude could be thought of as a way for the brain to encourage kindness toward others and motivate individuals to engage in socially conscious behavior. But research shows that, biologically, there is much more going on than earning a reward of feel-good chemicals. In fact, gratitude activates physiological changes in many different brain regions.” 

PRACTICING GRATITUDE AS A DELIBERATE ACT CAN HELP YOU FEEL HAPPIER, ESPECIALLY IF YOU FOCUS ON IT DAILY.

   “When we feel grateful, neurotransmitters trigger activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), the ventral striatum, and the insula. These brain regions are involved in cognitive functions like higher-order thinking, decision-making, emotional awareness, and motivation. Gratitude also affects the brain’s limbic system, including the hypothalamus, which can boost the neurotransmitter serotonin and signal the brainstem to produce dopamine. Dopamine enhances feelings of contentment, and it encourages repeated expressions of gratitude, which can contribute to a more consistently positive outlook on life.”

   “The amygdala, another component of the limbic system, is involved in emotional processing and fear responses. When we make gratitude a regular practice, the amygdala activates the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which counteracts the “fight-or-flight” response of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in times of stress. The PNS activation reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol, leading to a sense of relaxation. It also supports bodily functions like digestion, immune response, and sleep, all of which can be compromised or deprioritized during stress. Regularly focusing on gratitude can reduce the amygdala’s reactivity to stressors. This can help individuals have less intense emotional reactions to stressful situations and maintain a calmer and more balanced emotional state.’

   “By regularly experiencing and expressing gratitude, we change our perspective and think about things in new, more positive ways. This cognitive “rewiring” has a biological foundation, in that the brain reorganizes signaling pathways between neurons. This may also have benefits for brain health. One study found that people who experienced higher levels of gratitude had developed an increased volume of gray matter, brain tissue associated with processing sensation, voluntary movement, perception learning, speech, and a wide variety of cognitive tasks.”

The Benefits of Gratitude

   “Ultimately gratitude is more complex than merely expressing courtesy or focusing on positive thinking. When you regularly focus or meditate on what you are thankful for, it causes effects that promote well-being, including psychological and physical health. Here are some remarkable benefits: 

•    Gratitude helps you develop a more positive mindset. This can lead to an improvement in mood, but it also helps condition your brain to filter out negative ruminations. It becomes easier to avoid dwelling on toxic emotions like resentment, envy, and jealousy.

•    Gratitude reduces stress. It reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which in turn benefits cardiac function. For example, regular gratitude practice correlates with better heart rate variability (HRV), indicating a balanced autonomic nervous system. This can help you better manage stress when it arises.

•    Gratitude reduces anxiety. Gratitude affects the amygdala, which regulates the SNS and our anxiety responses. Regularly journaling about gratitude or discussing it as part of a group have long been parts of successful life-coaching approaches and mental health interventions.

•    Gratitude reduces depression. Because gratitude reduces stress hormones and manages autonomic nervous system functions, it can help to significantly reduce depression symptoms. When we experience or express gratitude, neurotransmitters cause an increase in activity in the prefrontal cortex, the region of the brain that manages negative emotions like guilt and shame. This activity helps us reduce the power of those emotions, which are often central to depression. Furthermore, gratitude’s effect of activating the brain’s reward centers enhances motivation and goal-directed behavior. This is beneficial for treating depression and anxiety, which are characterized by reduced motivation. Gratitude helps amplify the desire to pursue fulfilling activities and take active steps toward healing and growth.

•    Gratitude improves emotional resilience. Practicing gratitude can help you reduce future stress and rewire cognitive pathways so that you can better cope with emotions that arise from difficult circumstances.

•    Gratitude improves focus. The release of dopamine enhances concentration and vitality, which can help you better achieve tasks and personal or professional accomplishments.

•    Gratitude improves immunity. It triggers the release of hormones that regulate the immune system and help it function efficiently, so that you can fight off infections and more quickly recover from illnesses.

•    Gratitude improves sleep. It triggers the hypothalamus, which has an important role in regulating sleep. So expressing or experiencing gratitude can help us get better quality, deeper, and healthier sleep naturally. This further strengthens immune function and resilience.

•    Gratitude helps with social bonding. Expressing appreciation enhances our connection to others. This helps to build and strengthen community and cooperation.

•    Gratitude can improve general health concerns. Individuals who experience high levels of gratitude have been found to have fewer headaches, infections, digestion problems, dizzy spells, and less congestion. It can decrease symptoms of head pain, sore muscles, and nausea.”

How to Be More Grateful

   “Because gratitude provides so many benefits for health and well-being, it makes sense to focus on it regularly. Taking a few minutes every day to think about what you are thankful for can help you form a more positive outlook on life and help you find further aspects of it to appreciate. Practicing gratitude as a deliberate act can help you feel happier, especially if you focus on it daily. Even if our understanding of the neurobiological processes at work are recent developments, the benefits of daily focus on thankfulness have been recognized for millennia, and meditating on gratitude is a core part of many religious and spiritual traditions.”

   “If you’re not used to regularly practicing gratitude, you might be unsure of how to start. One way is to begin with self-appreciation. Simply stand in front of a mirror each day and think of five good things you appreciate about yourself. These could be virtues, talents, past achievements, efforts you’re currently working on, or just general things you like about yourself. Give yourself some compliments. In addition to improving your mood and helping you embrace a positive worldview, this regular practice can help you build self-esteem and self-confidence.”

  “Another active way to practice gratitude is to keep a journal. Take a few moments to reflect on the things you’re grateful for and write them down. Be specific and provide depth and detail. Think about positive gifts as well as negative things you’ve avoided. Do this regularly. It doesn’t have to be every day, but consistency is important to rewire your brain. From time to time, revisit what you’ve written in previous entries.”

   “Write thank-you letters, emails, or other messages to others to express grateful feelings. Making this a habit will provide an emotional benefit for you and the recipient. When possible, going further and reading out your written thanks in person can have an even more powerful and long-lasting effect on well-being.”

   “Consider gratitude as part of a regular meditation practice. It could be a specific focus for guided or unguided meditation. Therapists, life coaches, and other professional counselors can help you with this, but even on your own it can lead to better awareness and improve your mood.” (End of quote)(americanbrainfoundation.org)

In Divine Science we believe in the reality of the Christ Consciousness. We all have the potential to live in Christ consciousness when we live from the Soul rather than the ego. Living in Christ consciousness is living in gratitude for all that is in our life, seeing everything in the best light. It is living in Truth with a capital T and living in Divine Love. It is seeing the best in others and being grateful for them in our life. Christ Jesus was and is the Master of the Christ consciousness.

1 Thessalonians 5:18, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (Lamsa)

Ephesians 5:19-20, “Speaking to your souls in psalms and spiritual songs, sing with your heart to the Lord. Giving thanks always for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

What are some simple things in your life that you can be grateful for? Philippians 4:8 says, “Finally my brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honest, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good report; if there is any virtue and if there is any praise, think about these things.” In other words, focus on the good in life. We need to look for things to be grateful for every day. Savor and celebrate the small joys in life. Our life is made up of a series of small moments. We tend to focus on the big moments and forget that the quiet joys are present daily. We don’t have to look to the big events for our joy and gratitude. We can be fully present in life to each small joy and feel grateful. That’s being in the grateful groove, and it lifts us up into a satisfying and fulfilling life.

Being in the grateful groove is looking for the good in life. It’s easy to get caught up in the turmoil of life on the national and international level, the things we see on the news and social media. Then we can end up feeling anguished, angry, and powerless. But we live our daily life on the smaller level, at home and in the places we frequent, at the personal and local level. Yes, we can speak out when we see injustice and we can work for justice. But we do not need to live our life in anguish, anger and powerlessness. We do have power in our personal life. We can choose to see the good in our daily life. We can choose to be grateful for the blessings in our daily life. The more we look for the good in our daily life, the more we see the good. We train the mind to focus on the good and it becomes a habit, a good habit!

Rev. Mark’s favorite saying was, “Positive thinking = Positive results.” He taught this to all 5 of his grandchildren from a young age. He wanted them to have a grateful, positive life.

Gratitude reminds us what’s important. Relationships, family, friends, our pets, our home, safety, warmth, availability of food when we are hungry, the ability to get clean when we are dirty, a comfortable place to sleep and refresh, and the freedom to have the spiritual practices that speak to our soul. These are some I can think of and you probably have more.

When I get in the shower in the morning I often think of people who are living in areas of war and people who are homeless. I feel so grateful for the warm water that cleanses my body, the soap that washes away the sweat and odor, and the wonderful feeling of being clean in my little bathroom with a little heater that I can turn on when it’s cold. How blessed I am to be able to get clean any time I want to.

When I turn on the tap in my sink, there is water coming out to cook, to drink, to wash my hands, and to wash the vegetables and fruits I eat. This is a blessing to be grateful for. Not everyone has this blessing. There are areas of the world where people have to walk a long way to get water and often it is not even clean water. There is a nonprofit called Charity Water that has the mission to “Bring clean and safe water to every person on the planet.” You can donate to this charity to bring the blessing of clean water to all beings at charitywater.org

Gratitude helps us to live in the present moment. This is mindfulness, being present to what is right now. When we are aware of the now we are able to see the blessings in this moment right now. When we are living in the past, pining for the blessings that were then, or in the future, pining for what we think we want, we miss the joy of our life and we fail to be grateful for the blessings of the now.

Gratitude for what we have reduces comparison with others. I live in a tiny little cottage. It’s about 600 square feet and it’s all one room, plus a bathroom and closet. It’s cozy and meets my needs. I live there with my little dog, Lucy, and a kitty, Franny, who loves the outdoors in the country and only comes in at night. My neighbors that live right across the road from me live in a huge mediterranean style mansion, just the two of them. I am grateful for my cozy little home and my garden outside it. I don’t need a huge house to be happy. I am content where I am and I feel blessed. If you are not grateful for what you have right now, having more will not make you happier.

Gratitude can elevate our mood in the present moment. Don’t you feel happier when you perceive that something good is present? If this is where your focus is, on the good, then you will feel happier in your daily life. What is good right now? Appreciate the blessings of the now.

Gratitude helps us to make our relationships stronger. Don’t you feel happy when someone expresses gratitude for something you have done? We all like appreciation. When we express our gratitude, it helps those in our life see that we value them.

To record and bring awareness to your blessings, start a gratitude journal or a gratitude notebook. - It can be any kind of a notebook, journal, tablet, whatever works for you. At bedtime, write down 3 things you are grateful for in the day that you just ended. Writing in a gratitude journal before bed helps us have a more peaceful sleep. And when you are feeling down you can read your gratitude journal to bring you into a positive mood.

To bring awareness to your blessings throughout the day, you could set an alarm on your phone or watch for a certain time or interval, and then when the alarm alerts you, think of a blessing. Your whole day will be blessed as you live in the grateful groove.

The book, “365 Thank Yous” by John Kralik is a true-life example of the power of gratitude. “At the end of 2007, lawyer John Kralik hit bottom in his life. His law firm was on its last legs, his divorce from his second wife was stalled, his savings were depleted, he was 40 pounds overweight, and he had just broken up with his latest girlfriend. Then on a walk through the hills, he heard a voice say, "Until you learn to be grateful for the things you have, you will not receive the things you want." A thank-you note from his ex-girlfriend for his Christmas gift gave him the idea to find one person to thank each day of the year.” The book is his journey of gratitude to complete transformation of his life, one gratitude at a time. On the 90th day, he wrote to his Starbucks barista: "Scott, thank you for taking the time each morning to greet me in a friendly way. It is also so wonderful to me that you took the time and trouble to remember my name. In this day and age, few people make this effort, and fewer still do it in a way that feels sincere. You do both. It really makes a difference to me every day.” Noticing the everyday things to be grateful for changed his entire life.

There is another true story of gratitude in a book called, “The Sun Does Shine, How I found Life and Freedom on Death Row” by Anthony Ray Hinton.

“Anthony Ray Hinton spent 30 years on death row for a crime he did not commit. He was working in a locked factory at the time of the crime he was being accused of. The police told him he would be going to jail because he was black.”

“His time in jail was spent in solitary confinement in a five-by-seven-foot cell, allowed out only one hour a day. But Hinton quickly became a friend and counselor to other inmates, and the death row guards, many of whom begged Hinton’s attorney to get him out.”

“A unanimous Supreme Court ruling ordered his release, and he was able to walk free. In an interview he is quoted as saying: "One does not know the value of freedom until it is taken away, People run out of the rain. I run into the rain…I am so grateful for every drop. Just to feel it on my face.”

“Hinton was later interviewed on 60 Minutes. The interviewer asked if he was angry at the people who put him in jail. He said he forgave them all. The interviewer asked, “but they took 30 years of your life — how can you not be angry?” Hinton responded: “If I’m angry and unforgiving, they will have taken the rest of my life.” (medium.com)

If Anthony Ray Hinton can be grateful, we can be grateful. What can you be grateful for today? It may transform your life.

As Psalm 118:24 says, “This is the day which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” (Lamsa) And so it is!