Journal of Sacred Work

4:5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 4:6 Do not worry about
anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 4:5-7

  Paul wrote his letter to the
Philippians from prison. In it, he offered a sort of formula for the nascent Christian church in Philippi. He believed that following this formula was part of  experiencing the joy of God’s glory and could bring joy to anyone wise enough to absorb its meaning
into practice. His words are about joy and gratitude, not about happiness. But they can be a guide for those who are often confused by Thomas Jefferson’s proclamation in the Declaration of Independence of our right to "the pursuit of happiness ."… 

    Sometimes I wonder if Jefferson did us
a disservice with the use of that phrase. Americans sometimes seem to
pursue happiness with such a frantic fervor that their goal seems
ceretain to elude them. For happiness is not something we can "capture"
and hold in our hands like a parakeet.
    A news article my younger sister sent me, however, offers a remarkably simple practice that exective coach Caroline Adams Miller recommends. The practice is that every night we are to think of three good things that happened that day and analyze why they occurred.
   "I thought it was too simple to be effective," Ms. Miller said in the AP story. "I went to Harvard. I’m used to things being complicated."
   Since the practice seemed so simple, Miller decided to give it a try. She was startled by the results.
   "The quality of my dreams has changed, I never have trouble falling asleep and I do feel happier," she says.
   This "think-of-three-good-things exercise is now being tested by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania to see if it has any deep or long term value on those who practice it. An additional approach being studied is teaching people to savor pleasing things in their lives like a warm shower or a good breakfast.
   Could such simple practices have a real effect on our state of well being? All I can tell you is that since I read about this a week ago, I’ve been trying it. Usually, I find myself discovering more than three things. In addition, I’ve increased my focus on savoring the experiences of life at a more reflective pace. Yes. I feel a greater sense of well being as a result.
   But isn’t it obvious that this outcome would follow? Where attention goes, energy flows. If I am focusing my energy on the mystery and miracle of life around me (as well as allowing myself to appreciate the uglier aspects without judgment) wouldn’t I be bound to feel better?
   Gratitude crowds out the toxins of bitterness, anger, and resentment. When I am practicing gratitude, than there’s no room for disappointment and frustration.
   Yes, the formula is simple. But what is the downside? There is none. If we have been caught in patterns of recycling negative thought, isn’t it worth trying a new pathway?
   The Apostle Paul urged gentleness as well as the practice of thanksgiving. He offered these practices as ways for us to open the door to God’s peace. And in this peace we discover the presence and the strength of Jesus. He waits for us to discover that when we practice kindness and thanksgiving, we learn love.

-Erie Chapman