Month: February 2023

I noticed this picture in the prayer chapel and it inspired a thought –

Here is a closer image:

An arch (as shown in the firepit above) is a very strong structure as long as each brick is in place and supporting its portion of the load. But if you remove just one brick, the arch will fall. That brings us to our verse for the day which is from 1 Thessalonians 5:11:

“So, continue encouraging each other and building each other up.”

If we compare our lives to an arch, we can start to think about the critical bricks that hold things together for us. These might include:

• Relationship with God
• Relationships with others
• Healthy nutrition
• Exercise
• Quality sleep
• Meaningful work
• Stress management

We can probably think of many other examples, but for today we’ll focus on our relationship with others.

Our “arch” is strongest when we are supported by the following individuals, in order of importance:

• Immediate family
• Extended family and closest friends
• Other friends and acquaintances

Although we know our arch is strongest when we maintain quality relationships with those closest to us, sometimes it’s easiest to ignore these individuals or even hurt them. So, as a starting point, we can think through the needs of our closest relationships and focus our energies there. What are their love languages? Where can we provide the most support and encouragement? As these relationships are strengthened, our arch is strengthened.

And maybe you have a weak or missing brick in your arch that really needs a lot of work. If so, like every other difficult challenge, there is one proven way to start thinking about the solution – go to God in prayer and ask Him for miraculous healing. And as you ask Him for guidance, focus only on the ideal scenario and don’t slip back into old ways of thinking. These old ruts are the devil’s way of trying to pull you back because he hates it when strained relationships are healed. If you are giving it to God, really give it to God and focus only on the perfect solution you know he can create.

As you start this exercise, a good first step is to think through the prioritized list above and review each relationship. Which ones are strong? Which ones need work? Which ones need a miracle? And sometimes, when we think about strengthening our own arch, the first thing we really need to do is consider how we can help strengthen others’ arches first.

Here are a few questions to help us think more about today’s topic –

Questions:

1. Do you agree that our arch is strongest when we maintain the high-quality relationships with those closest to us?
2. What are some reasons it is easiest to ignore or even hurt those closest to us?
3. Do you have any examples of bricks in your life that you’ve repaired that helped strengthen your arch?
4. Why is it so important not to let yourself slip back into old ways of thinking once you’ve asked God to help heal a damaged relationship? In other words, why are old ruts so harmful?
5. Do you agree that some missing/damaged bricks can only be replaced or repaired by starting with prayer? Why or why not?

Last week, we discussed gratitude and how important it is to God that we live with grateful hearts. This week we’ll continue this theme with a focus on the health benefits of expressing gratitude.

We’ll use the same verse we used last week, which is from Thessalonians 5:18,

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

In preparing for our lesson today, I searched the phrase “health benefits of being grateful”. There are many examples but, for this lesson, I’ll focus on an article from Psychology Today titled 7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude. This is not a Christian publication, but I’m going to try to tie the article together with our verse for today. I believe that God designed our hearts, minds, and bodies to be healthier when we express gratitude, as explained below.

The article includes these seven scientifically proven benefits of giving thanks:

1. More relationships — thanking a new acquaintance makes them more likely to seek an ongoing relationship.
2. Improved psychological health
3. Improved physical health
4. Enhanced empathy and reduced aggression
5. Improved sleep
6. Improved self-esteem
7. Mental strength

Can you think of another singular factor, besides gratitude, that can provide this many benefits? I tried to think of one but came up empty. So, I searched for other opinions and found this quote from the Roman philosopher Cicero – “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others”. There were many other quotes on the topic, and they all gave gratitude the same level of significance.

So, this is where it became clear to me that God designed us in a way that makes us healthier when we express gratitude. Here are the truths we know:

1. We know that God wants us to have all the good things in the list above (and many more)
2. We know that God is the one who designed us
3. Scientific studies show that gratitude leads to the benefits above (and many more)

When we consider all these things together, it seems obvious that we can draw a clear connection. I believe we can simply say that God wants each of us to enjoy every good thing in life and that He gave us gratitude as one of the keys to unlock all this goodness.

Questions:

1. We discussed this last week, but let’s ask the question again after today’s lesson – why do you think gratitude is so important to God?
2. Can you think of any other single factor, other than gratitude, that can produce so many benefits?
3. Do you have a regular gratitude practice now? If you are comfortable, please share this with the group.
4. In addition to the answers from question 3, what are some other ways you can start making gratitude a daily habit?