Thanksgiving as a Foundation for Joy

Scripture — Psalm 97:12; 107:22

Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous,
and give thanks to his holy name.

Let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices,
and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.

Devotion

In three days, those of us in the United States will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day. As I wrap up this devotional series on Experiencing the Fullness of Joy, I’d like to reflect with you on some connections between gratitude and joy. (Yes, this devotion uses some of what I wrote in a recent Third Third Life article.)

For more than six decades, I have loved the last two months of the year, with their seasons for thanksgiving and joy. Until recently, I never gave much thought to the relationship between these seasons and the emotions they arouse. But, as I was doing research in support of the De Pree Center’s quarterly focus on joy, I discovered a couple of fascinating articles exploring the relationship between thanksgiving and joy. It seems there is a connection between November and December that I had not considered before.

Both articles were co-written by a scholar I’ve come to respect and appreciate for his outstanding research. Dr. Robert Emmons is professor emeritus of psychology at the University of California, Davis. He is arguably the world’s premier expert on the psychology of gratitude. His academic work significantly informed my third third work, years before I learned that Emmons is also a faithful Christian. (He gave a series of fascinating lectures on gratitude as Fuller Seminary’s 2022 Integration Symposium.)

While doing my research, I came upon an article co-written by Robert Emmons and Marc Afshar called “Gratitude as the Foundation for Joy.” This article, though written for the Journal of Youth and Theology, has much to say that is relevant to all times of life, including the third third. The article’s abstract begins:
Joy and gratitude are two of the deepest touch points of human existence. Joy is a multifaceted concept that is best thought of as an emotion-virtue composed of delight in that which is ultimately good. Gratitude is an affirmation of the good and a recognition of where that good is sourced. As self-transcendent, positive emotion dispositions at the heart of many religious and spiritual traditions, these qualities are key components of the flourishing life (p. 5).

Later, Emmons and Afshar write,
Is there a connection between living gratefully and experiencing joy? The evidence appears unequivocal. Gratitude is foundational for joy. Grateful people appreciate the good in their lives and view life through a lens of giftedness. This way of thinking and seeing should enhance joy because one has to first be able to find and recognize the good and then incorporate and absorb this good before they can experience joy.

Emmons and Afshar mention the central role of “the good” in the experience of joy. Similarly, my Fuller colleagues Pamela Ebstyne King and Frederic Defoy affirm that joy is “an emotional response to something good.” (They also agree with Emmons and Afshar that joy is more than an emotion. It is also a virtue.) We might feel happy over relatively minor goods, like eating a tasty meal or watching a funny movie. But joy goes deeper and lasts longer as a response to moral, relational, and spiritual goodness.

How are thankfulness and joy connected? Emmons and Afshar suggest that gratitude amplifies or magnifies that which is good in our lives, thus augmenting our joy. They explain:

Just as an amplifier increases the volume of sound coming into a microphone, gratitude “turns up the volume” of the good in one’s life. Just as a magnifying glass enlarges the text it is focused on, so gratitude enlarges the good that it is focused on. . . . Stated differently, gratitude increases the signal strength of what and who is good in one’s life.

So, if being thankful turns up the volume on what is good in our lives, then it will also increase our experience of joy. Thus, as the title of the article by Emmons and Afshar proclaims, gratitude is “the foundation for joy.”

We see ample evidence of the relationship between gratitude and joy in Scripture. Consider, for example, Psalm 97:12, “Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name.” In some passages, thanksgiving seems to lead to joy. As it says in Psalm 107:22, “Let them offer thanksgiving sacrifices, and tell of his deeds with songs of joy.” Based on gratitude, we sing songs of joy.

We know how gratitude leads to joy from our own experience. Sometimes when we are feeling thankful or offering prayers of thanks to God, joy creeps up on us unexpectedly. It fills our hearts and flows out in expressions of praise. We experience what Emmons and Afshar describe as the amplifier effect of gratitude.

So, though officially, we recognize one Thanksgiving Day this week, I would encourage you to set aside some time for intentional and extensive gratitude. Consider all that God has given you in the last year and offer thanks for these gifts. As you express your thanks, let your gratitude be a foundation for joy. Let your heart be open to all the joy God wants to give you.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: God Undergirds All Work and Productivity (Psalm 107).