100TH POST: THE GREEN BENDIX

WISDOM NUGGET: "If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice. - Meister Eckhart

David, was in distress when he said, ".bless the Lord oh my soul and forget not all his benefits." He was on the verge of almost being ripped apart by crisis on every side. Yet he said to himself, "never forget all." That is part of what the devil tends to achieve, when he hurls affliction at you. He knows that affliction has a way of making you forget in a hurry, the goodness of God and of men.

John Claypool was a pastor in Louisville, Kentucky many years ago. He and his wife lost their daughter, Laura Lou, to leukaemia.

He later explained his loss by telling a story from his childhood. During WWII his family didn't own a washing machine, and since gas was rationed, they couldn't afford to drive to a laundry. Keeping their clothes clean became a challenge. John's neighbour went into the service and his wife moved in with her family. They offered to let John's family use their wringer washer while they were gone. They reasoned it would be better for it to be used than to sit rusting on the porch. John helped with the family's laundry, and he said he developed a fondness for that old green Bendix. When the war ended his neighbours returned, and they reclaimed their washing machine. Over the course of the war, young John had actually forgotten the machine was loaned to them, so when the neighbors removed it, John was upset and angry that they would take his washing machine. His mother sat him down and said, "John, you must remember that the washing machine never belonged to us in the first place. It was a gift for us to have been able to use it. So, instead of being mad at it being taken away, let us use this as an occasion to be thankful that we ever had it at all." John Claypool would say years later he struggled with the death of eight-year-old Laura Lou, until he remembered that old green Bendix. He wrote: "When I remember that Laura Lou was a gift, pure and simple, something I neither earned nor deserved nor had a right to; and when I remember that the appropriate response to a gift, even when it is taken away, is gratitude, then I am better able to try and be thankful that I was ever given her in the first place." According to Aesop, "Gratitude is the sign of noble souls"

Studies have shown that gratitude is strongly correlated with optimism. Optimism in turn makes us happier, improves our health, and has been shown to increase lifespan by as much as a few years.
Check this out:
1. In one study of keeping a weekly gratitude journal, participants showed a 5% increase in optimism.
2. In another study, keeping a daily gratitude journal resulted in a 15% increase in optimism.
3. Optimism is significantly correlated with gratitude (r=.51). The above studies show that it isn't just correlation - increasing one's level of gratitude increases one's level of optimism.

In order to build positive momentum toward a more happy and fulfilling life. Try;
1. Keeping a daily journal of three things you are thankful for. This works well first thing in the morning, or just before you go to bed.

2. Making it a practice to tell a spouse, partner or friend something you appreciate about them every day.

3. Looking in the mirror while brushing, and think about something you did well recently or something you like about yourself.
Yes, this world gives us plenty of reasons to despair, but understand that thankfulness feels good; it's good for you.