For those who 
desire to reap the 
many benefits of a 
thankful heart 
in the daily practice 
of true gratitude. 
 
 
   
 INTRODUCTION
I know a lot about gratitude. You
could say I wrote the book on it! Well,
I wrote a book about gratitude. You
see, gratitude is a hot topic these
days. Plug it into the search engine
on Amazon and you’ll be swimming in
over 70,000 titles. Yikes.

So what makes Practicing Gratitude

more relevant than any of the
thousands of other books on the
subject? Well, first off, it’s hinged on
biblical thankfulness. (Side note:
There are only roughly 10,000
Amazon titles in that category.)

Additionally, I studied extensively in

order to better understand the value
of gratitude, realizing that urging
readers to create new thought
patterns and heart convictions would
be meaningless unless there was a
reward for the effort.

Not only did I reach into my own life

and how Jesus fostered thankfulness
in my heart, but I labored through
scientific studies on neuroplasticity
(the science of the changing brain),
psychology, and health science.

I saw clearly how, as busy women in

a busy world, we rarely take time to
be purposefully grateful. We’ll say
thank you to our cashier, we express
thanks to our coworkers, we thank
Jesus for our food… But we have
lost the art of resting in the mindset of
gratitude.
When we do not make it a priority to
pursue a pure heart of thankfulness,
we miss out on the amazing benefits
it will have on our lives, our bodies,
and the world around us. Gratitude
will not necessarily change our
circumstances, but it will change us
and we will change the world.

In Practicing Gratitude I was able to

share the spiritual growth aspects in
building the habit of biblical
thankfulness, but I only had a scant
paragraph to touch on the physical
and mental changes that would occur
in a woman’s life through regular
gratitude habits.

And that is why I am writing this little

book now. There is SO MUCH I want
to share with you about the benefits
you will experience in living a life of
Practicing Gratitude.

Whereas the Practicing Gratitude

book was chock full of Scripture,
biblical commissions and
applications, and specific grace
regarding gratitude, this small edition
will focus more on the general grace
experienced through the application
of a proper thankful heart-set. This is
where you’ll find the observed
physics of purposed thankfulness and
its effects on the human body and
mind.
 WHAT 
IS GRATITUDE?
In case you are reading this book
without first having absorbed
Practicing Gratitude, you will need a
brief introduction to what gratitude
really is.

Many people believe that gratitude is

a one-stop-shop for a better outlook
on life, hoping it will ultimately change
their life into that conjured better
state. But friend, gratitude is not the
secret to happiness.

It is, though, the secret to something

much better. Gratitude is the secret to
contentment, acceptance, and joy.
And isn’t that combo so much better
than mere happiness?!

Let me begin by introducing you to

gratitude in a way you may have
never considered it.

The dictionary defines gratitude as a

feeling of thanks or appreciation. Hm.
Ok. Sounds pretty straightforward.
But, girl- hold on, because we’re
going far deeper than that!

Now, feelings are nice, and they help

us to better understand what’s going
on inside of the deeper parts of us.
But gratitude goes SO much further
than mere feelings.

True gratitude is reflecting back the

heart of a gift that has been given to
you. The gift of an experience, a
tangible item, or perhaps a
relationship.

Gratitude is not just a feeling that

rests in your heart and says, ‘yay I
like this thing and this emotion and
this relationship so much!’ That’s
merely positive thinking.

Gratitude is actively expressing those

feelings of appreciation. Purposefully,
intentionally expressing that feeling.
It’s not passive at all. Gratitude is
active. And here’s why that’s
important.
 GRATITUDE IS 
HEALTHY
Let’s start at the top. Literally. There
have been several scientific studies
on the effect of gratitude on the brain
and they are all incredibly fascinating!
Instead of simply giving you the
details of all the scientific journals and
research papers, I’ll Cliff’s Notes it for
you, summarizing many studies into
this single chapter.

In a series of 3-week tests, 4 groups

of people were given varying
activities, and were asked to rank
their mental and emotional wellbeing.
In addition, their brain waves and
physical status was measured and
tracked.
The first group was asked to focus on
the negative: everything miserable in
their lives - the hard things and
everything that got them down and
anything that could possibly go
wrong.

The second group was asked to

focus on positive thinking: “I can get
through this. I can do this. I am worth
it, I am valuable, I am going to keep
going--yay me!”

Of the two groups, who do you think

had more vibrant brain waves,
healthier bodies, and ranked
themselves as happier at the end of
the 21 day trial?

That’s right- the positive thinking

group.
Have you found that to be true for you
as well? Consider this: You’ve no
doubt experienced the result of a
hard day, where your attention was
pulled to everything going wrong.
You end up tired, maybe a little
depressed, and definitely not vibrant.

Compare that with the times you’ve

purposed to make lemonade out of
any lemons the day may bring, and
fought for a cheerful disposition
despite hard times, hard people, and
hard concerns. You may have still
ended up tired for having stood
against the pummeling waves of
hard, but the core of you still breathed
life and hope and vitality.

Sonit stands to reason that, after

three weeks of practicing a habit of
focused thought, either negative or
positive, the second group was
healthier- both physically and
mentally.

Now the third group practiced a

thought habit of thankfulness, listing
three things each day that they were
thankful for, i.e. I am thankful for the
sky, I am thankful for an opportunity, I
am thankful for this thing or that
thing… As beneficial as positive
thinking had been shown to be,
purposed thankfulness was far more
rich and rewarding.
Compared to the fourth group who
were given a single task. Those folks
were directed to ponder someone
who had helped them in some way,
and were told to write a thank you
letter. One action: a thank you note.
Not every day. Just the first day. It
was a single, one-time action.

And yet, three weeks later, the

individuals in the fourth group, those
that pondered appreciation and
expressed what was going on in their
hearts and their minds, giving back
the heart of the gift they had received,
showed brainwaves that were the
most healthy, the most strong, the
most vibrant, and showed the
sharpest synapses.

Their metabolism rose, their white

blood cell count was excellent, their
bad cholesterol was going down, their
good cholesterol went up…

The overall health that is wrapped up

in expressed gratitude is absolutely
incredible.

And that’s in addition to the

neuroplasticity! In 21 days of building
the habit of gratitude, your brain will
begin to repair the broken mental
pathways of abuse, depression, and
harmful thinking, even mending the
scars of childhood trauma.
LADIES! This is incredible! Simply by
training your brain over the span of
21 days to purposefully pursue
gratitude will rewire the connections
within your physical brain, and will
lead to clearer thoughts, more
objective truth, and faster processing.

Gratitude is the most powerful mental

drug medical science has to offer.

Gratitude truly is healthy.

 GRATITUDE IS 
NEEDED
Recall the first aspect of gratitude; in
its most authentic form it is active.

Yet, just as any other object in

motion, it may lead to chaos and
confusion--in the best scenario it will
simply be useless--unless the motion
is coupled with purpose.

Which is why gratitude demands a

direction.

Gratitude must be towards someone.

Someone who can understand and
will appreciate it. You can say thank
you to your chair. It won’t care. But
you can say thank you to a person
and it will touch their soul forever.

Here’s why: Gratitude is needed.

In this world, negativity is king.

Consider that time you had a
presentation, a performance, or a
party and you received a negative
response. You know, that one person
who came up to you and said (please
imagine this in a nasal, valley-girl
tone): “Oh my word, girlfriend, like,
you really shouldn’t have done it that
way. It was a total bummer, and you
really screwed up.”
Even if NO ONE else was
complaining about a single thing, that
one negative comment is the thought
that you’re going to harp on. That
one comment will worm its way into
your heart and you will spend
sleepless nights agonizing over that
one thing.

Isn’t that absolutely ridiculous?!

Actually, though, not quite as silly as

you might think.

Studies suggest that we need about 4

positive comments to balance out the
1 bad. That’s how we’re wired.

But in this world, on average we only

get 1 positive comment for every 10
negative comments.
If we want to make a difference in this
world the most simple way is to share
appreciation and positivity. Find a
way to lend positivity into someone’s
life. Find a way to say something
nice to someone. And make this
world a better place. Because you
are that one positive voice.

You may be the ONLY positive voice

that someone hears in a day… in a
month… in a year… their whole life.
You may be that one positive
comment. Your words may be the
one anchor someone has, holding
them onto hope.

And if that one negative comment can

worm it’s way into their heart and
their mind, imagine what the result of
a positive comment will be in their
life, and the resulting beautiful things
that person can do.

We should make a regular, everyday

effort to love on those around us,
whether we know them or not.

Having been on the receiving end, I

can attest to the rush of hope that is
poured over a weary soul when
accepting a positive comment. One
time in particular stands out, when an
older gentleman turned to me in the
grocery store and said, “Thank you
for having a smile on your face in the
midst of this crazy line; I really
appreciate your good attitude!”
Having someone say that to me
made my heart say, “Oh! They
noticed! That was hard and they
noticed! Yay!”

The rest of my up-to-that-point

absolutely miserable day was
amazing! Because someone saw.
Someone cared. And they cared
enough for it to go beyond a passive
state of “oh I noticed someone’ to
step out of who they were. They
made eye contact, and they said
something. And that made all the
difference.

Now consider what would happen if

we went through our whole day, every
day, not just going through life, but
pouring positivity in the lives of those
around us.

What if we went even further and

started actively looking for ways
others were pouring out positivity on
the people around them, and what if
we intentionally and earnestly
thanked them for it? We would be
breathing life into both ourselves and
those around us. If we can do that,
imagine what a world we can create!
 GRATITUDE 
IS WORK
Ok. Let’s get real here. Gratitude is
hard work. It is intentional and
purposeful and often takes copious
amounts of energy.

And quite frankly, sometimes our

feelings are nowhere near thankful.
In order to realign our hearts and
minds when gratitude is difficult,
sometimes the best thing to do is to
take a little time out. When you find
that your circumstances are stronger
than your convictions, give yourself
permission to sit down and ponder for
a while. Imagine your flurry of
emotions as a blizzard in a
snowglobe, recognize your hard
things and identify them as such.
Then, as your purpose to
understand--not WHY, but WHAT--
those hard are, let them filter to the
foundation of your soul and take a
moment to rest in the silence. At that
point I challenge you to try a gratitude
sprint. Pull out a notebook or your
voice memos, set a timer for one
minute, and make a list of things
you’re grateful for and that bring you
joy.

Here was my list today:

❏ Sunshine
❏ Flowers
❏ Honeybees
❏ Fresh tomatoes from my garden
❏ Decent nailpolish
❏ Good hair days
❏ Healthy eyelashes
❏ A bouquet of flowers
 ❏ The perfect avocado
❏ Spatulas that don’t break
❏ Friends calling me from out of
the blue
❏ Clouds that come in different
shapes
❏ New scissors
❏ Being loved by my family
❏ The ability to sit on a porch
❏ Devent neighbors
❏ Broccoli potato soup
❏ Old hymns
❏ Sweet apples

Many items on that list were added

simply by looking around at my
environment. And, unsurprisingly,
being reminded of an abundance of
things that bring me joy will inevitably
defibrillate my optimism, and will
jumpstart an attitude of gratitude.
Just as it is essential to build
gratitude in yourself, if is just as
important--if not moreso--to do so in
the lives of others.

If you see someone who looks

downcast, take a few moments to say
something nice. LOOK HARD
INTENTIONALLY to find something
that’s encouraging you can share.
Even if you are surrounded by people
who look totally put together,
compliment a gal shoes or her
eyebrows. Most likely she is aching
for something to be thankful for
herself.

It doesn’t have to be much.

Sometimes something, even a little
thing, can be everything. Just say
thank you. That’s all you need to do
to make a difference.

Now I could wrap up this little book

right here, leaving you with warm
fuzzies and happy thoughts.
Unfortunately, however, that wouldn’t
change the world much. In order to
solidify gratitude as a practice, we
absolutely must put feet to our
thanks. Because, as you remember,
gratitude is active.

Your thankfulness must become

REAL. Get your warm fuzzies out of
the passive, and kick them into the
active tense. Reflect back the heart of
a gift you’ve received and THEN you
will be practicing gratitude.

Here’s your ACTION ITEM.

Make a list of up to three people who

have influenced your life for the
better.

Girl. Do it now.

I’m serious! Take a moment, think of

a few people who have poured into
your life and jot down their names on
your phone, on the back of an
envelope, on your hand… Just take
that time to invest in gratitude.

Hun. You’re still reading? Ok. I’ll

make it easier by ending this chapter.
You’re welcome. Now make that list!
PEOPLE WHO HAVE BLESSED ME

1.

2.

3.
 GRATITUDE 
HOMEWORK
Ok, are you ready now? You’re not
just cheating and reading ahead?
You’re such a rebel… Fine. If you
decided to ignore your action item,
please promise me you’ll go back and
complete the task. (I recommend
setting an alarm or a reminder on
your phone. Yes, please do that right
now!)

Alright. Once you have your list,

determine which one of those people
you are going to reach out to TODAY.
Put a star by their name and commit
to sending them a thank you letter. Or
a text, or a phone call.
Now here’s the accountability aspect!
Drop me an email letting me know
that you have committed to saying
thank you to someone today.
Whether you’ve just brainstormed
your three names, have already sent
off those texts, or simply think it might
be a good idea, please let me know!
Even a blank email will indicate that
this action item resonated with your
heart. Here you go:
ISaidThankYou@ChristinHunt.com

Not everyone will take the Thank You

Challenge. Far fewer will send me an
email. I get it- I really do! But did you
know that I get to see how many
times this ebook has been
downloaded? Yup. It’s actually quite
encouraging to view the analytics,
imagining the women who may have
found value and encouragement in
my writing. I’ll also see how many
emails go through, and that will give
me an even deeper insight into how
many of my readers are serious
about bettering their life through
gratitude. I do understand that the

folks who respond via email will be a

small percentage of those who
actually take the challenge, and that
most of my readers may ignore this
chapter entirely.

Know this, though- by avoiding this

action item, you are actively choosing
to NOT invest in your health and
wellness, and are putting off the
opportunity to better the world.
Feeling guilty? Good.

Oh, hun, I’m kidding. (Mostly!) Don’t

feel shame in not sending that email.
With that odd request I’m asking you
to do something rather
uncomfortable. Especially if you don’t
know me personally, I know that very
few ladies will feel at ease emailing a
stranger. It’s ok.

But I do ask that you seriously ponder

the value of communicating thanks to
that individual on your list. It is
ALWAYS a worthwhile investment.

WHY am I asking for an email?

Because statistics show that you are
85% more likely to follow through.
Simply by communicating intent your
changes of making a difference
skyrockets.

Though I love hearing from my

readers, my heart behind asking for
an email is to equip YOU with a
deeper sense of urgency and
obligation to put gratitude into
practice. You’re welcome!

Did I convince you yet? Here’s that

link again, just in case!
ISaidThankYou@ChristinHunt.com
 GRATITUDE IS A 
COMMAND
When we go to scripture, it is very
easy to see that gratitude is a
command:
In all things give thanks!
(1 Thes 5:18)

Now this particular thanks is

specifically directed toward God. The
Author of all moments. The Creator
of all days. The Sovereign Scheduler
of heartbeats and happenings.

In all things… give thanks.

All things? But what about the hard

things? The painful things. The
things that come into our lives and
shake us to our very core. Are we
supposed to give thanks then, too?
Does “all things” include hard things?

Well, the God of the Bible, who

issued that command of thanks, is all
powerful, all knowing, all sovereign,
and all good. If He were not all those
things, He would not be a god worth
knowing.

But He has invited us to know Him,

and in doing so we will understand
His heart and we will know it to be
good. And as we know His good
heart, we will trust His good plan.
And in trusting His good plan, we will
trust that everything He purposefully
brings into our lives is hinged on His
goodness.
As finite beings we can not see how
many of the hard things in our lives
could ever result in goodness. But in
knowing God we trust HIM.

In knowing the heart of our Father, we

understand His utter JOY in revealing
His character to us through His works
and His Word. If we truly know Him to
be good and righteous and beautiful
and all-powerful, then we can trust
that His story of creation is also good
and righteous and beautiful and
perfectly planned.
Even the birth of brokenness was
intentionally ordained, and every
subsequent scar resides in humble
submission to His overarching
goodness and sovereignty. All
because we know the heart of the
Father.

And that’s the secret:

Knowing God.

Because when we know God, we can

be grateful in everything. Because
when we can not yet thank Him for
what He brings into our lives, we CAN
thank Him for who He is.

And we’ve already seen that gratitude

breeds contentment, acceptance, and
joy, in addition to physical and mental
health, healing past trauma, growing
encouragement, building a world of
positivity and hope, and, above all,
having the certainty that everything
has been purposed for GOOD.

And this is my summons in wrapping

up this book:

If we want a life of practicing

gratitude, then we need to know God.

May that be our highest aim and

greatest endeavor, living a life of
gratitude for the good of both
ourselves and everyone around us,
ultimately bringing glory to the God
who called us to a life of gratitude.
 MY GRATITUDE
My sweet reader, though it may seem
a bit cliche at this point, thank you.
Thank you for the investment of both
your time and your heart in reading
this little book. I truly hope it enriches
your life and brings a renewed sense
of appreciation to your soul. I deeply
enjoyed sharing aspects of what I’ve
been learning, and I hope it will serve
you as you practice the lifetime art of
gratitude. If there is any way in which
I may serve you in prayer or
encouragement, please contact me! I
would absolutely love to hear from
you! Contact@ChristinHunt.com
 GRATITUDE 
RESOURCES
If you would like to dive deeper into
the science of gratitude and the brain
a quick Google search will present
you with 130,000 results. After
weeks of absorbing much of that
information I condensed it into the
GRATITUDE IS HEALTHY chapter.
The studies I most enjoyed can be
found HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE,
and HERE.

The meshing of my study on the

biblical aspects of gratitude has been
put together as a 14-day devotional in
the book Practicing Gratitude: How
Knowing God leads to Biblical
Thankfulness. The paperback version
is available via Amazon (HERE), or
you can download the free PDF
version on my website (HERE).

I also have a list of Thank-You Tips

you can download for FREE HERE if
you need help jumpstarting your
Thank You Challenge.
 ABOUT THE 
AUTHOR 
Christin Hunt is
a graduate of
The Master's
College, where
she studied
Bible and Vocal
Performance.
She is a
speaker, author, singer/songwriter,
teacher, and amateur theologian. She
leads worship for women's gatherings
and special events and enjoys seeing
how the gospel touches every aspect
of life and living.

Her goal is to fight complacency

within the Christian life, and she
seeks to do so through infusing
women with an enthusiasm to know
God more. Christin lives in Northern
California with her Music Minister
husband, where they homeschool
their three children and seek to reflect
Jesus while enjoying the chaos and
craziness of everyday life.

For more information please visit

www.ChristinHunt.com or email her
directly at Contact@ChristinHunt.com