“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Positive Recall Bias.
In a study participants were divided into two groups and given simple instructions:
- one group was asked to write down five things a day for which they were thankful;
- the other group was to write down five things they would identify as a hassle or disappointments.
Each group did this for ten weeks.
The group seeking to cultivate a positive recall bias reported that over time they became attuned to notice the good both in people and in situations. Conversely, the negative recall bias group grew much more attentive to what they didn’t like in people and in situations.
Just five thoughts!
Imagine that. The simple act of recalling five positive or negative things over ten weeks impacted the daily perspective and experience of people.
Just five thoughts!
Give thanks in all circumstances. This is God’s will for you. You don’t have to wonder if it’s God’s will. You don’t have to pray to see if this is God’s will. God plainly tells us – this is my will for you!
Not only is this God’s will for us, we now have the data to prove that this is healthy for us. This is good for us.
But we already knew that God’s will for us is good for us. Right?
Praxis: Faith in Action 