Attitude of Gratitude and Joy

Transcript

it's it is uh x at times it can be saddening to hear x uh x circumstances like our our brother Bob x um when he's up against our brother Jack x um and even x um you know the Canon family and what x they are enduring now uh and and in the x context of seemingly uh the news that we x are experiencing x it has been a focus of mine lately of x how x we go about uh collectively x um x pursuing Joy maintaining a state of Joy x so uh to that end does anyone any any x young parents uh on right now does x anyone know who this character is by x chance x any takers on this one x joy joy all right x that's Joy here we go x um and I'm not a young parent x that's exactly right so x um you know that's from the movie Inside x Out it has a really good explanation of x of you know sadness and joy and that x balance of how do we how do we balance x these emotions uh and we talk about x balancing of emotions uh first and x foremost I want to talk about the two x differences between uh specifically x happiness and joy x and I have to ask does anyone know the x difference do they want to a shout x out how do you differentiate happiness x and joy x Nate I would say that uh happiness is x kind of based on your circumstances when x things are x are uh x um going well for you but joy is x something x deeper within that can x endure through x difficult more difficult situations x maybe I don't know x um you can still have joy in the midst x of x trial and difficulty x first x explore uh the definition from a x scientific standpoint and then we're x going to dive into the spiritual as well x but x um x all three of those responses was was x spot on as far as the differentiation x happiness is an emotion right it's it's x essentially it's based on a simple cause x and effect whereas as joy and I this is x amazing because this is from the x American uh Psychological Association x but the way that they explain this is x kind of it definitely has like this x um spiritual component to it it's a x feeling of extreme gladness Delight or x exultation of the spirit arising from a x sense of well-being or satisfaction the x feeling of Joy may take two forms x passive and active x all right so we have passive Joy x involves tranquility and feeling of x contentment where things are x and then active Joy involves a desire to x share one's feelings with others x associated with more of an engagement of x the environment uh than passive Joy x the distinction between passive action x Joy may be related to the intensity of x the emotion as it continues on with x active Joy representing the more intense x form uh both forms of Joy are associated x with an increase in energy and feelings x of confidence and self-esteem x so in some like happiness it's reactive x emotion based on a stimulus Joy is a x conditioned mindset x for your health nuts out there I almost x think of Happiness as sugar right it's x that quick hit whereas uh Joy maybe x we'll say it's whole grain x uh we should be conditioning ourselves x for enduring Joy not just pursuing the x next hit of happiness because as we just x talked about like there's a lot of x circumstances that our brothers and x sisters are enduring there's a lot of x circumstances out in the world that can x be x disheartening x and we also experienced this from a x scriptural standpoint as well x it's interesting because when you look x at happy it occurs 28 times in 25 verses x but the circumstances and especially in x the New Testament Greek uh the wording x is x it's foundationally more like blessed x than happy as we know it so like when we x see circumstances of happy and I was x looking through some of these uh it was x it really was more of a x the context of a blessing and hopefully x this link works we'll see could be an x adventure here x um x so this is just a a quick but Shameless x plug for uh Blue Letter Bible definitely x a great x resource that I've been able to use in x the the Lexicon around uh Joy x specifically and when you see happiness x we can ultimately pull that up as well x um that's really more so x um x in the context of uh blessings right so x this is this is happy x uh that we're seeing here and x um blessed happy and you see all the the x context of it it's usually just blessed x Amino it's you see them Beatitudes it's x more so a x um a circumstantial type of x emotion x where we see Joy x and um Brian if if you want to jump in x on the Old Testament here more than x happy to fill the void with Brian Lloyd x um because I've I've really I focused on x the new uh the Greek side no knowing x that um there is seemingly a significant x array of uh Joy within x um the Hebrew do you do you want to have x a quick uh do you have any takes on on x how Joy is presented because I was x actually frankly surprised at the x different variations of Joy within the x Hebrew x anything worth sharing from your x perspective Brian x um x nothing really that uh earth-shattering x that I can share I mean some of the x words are x um x familiar and yeah but yeah I don't have x anything deep to share or anything x understood understood and maybe David x could help out here well I feel like x every time every time I do a I look at x the Old Testament in the Hebrew you come x out with some some fantastic insights x after the fact I was like I wish I had x that on the spot that was amazing x um so David well one comment that I that x I would make uh even if you don't know x any Hebrew you don't have to all you x need to know is you look at this list x and this is this is true it's there you x can see it for a language x that is really spare in vocabulary x that's a lot of the x of a lot of uh I guess x synonyms or near meanings this is not x the way Hebrew usually operates uh x it doesn't it has a lot of words for x this and I would say an unusually uh a x lot of words for nasty things too like x destruction and and breaking apart and x things like that but this this is a x significant for uh a language that x usually makes has one word that serves x at all kinds of purposes here you have x the opposite case right it's like the x Eskimo is having so many words for ice x I guess so so it sounds like yeah the x Hebrew language is uh oriented around x both extremes of Destruction but also x the joy which is which is really x interesting x um x yeah I was just gonna say a few I mean x one thing that does jump out of me x there's there's a number of names like x Hebrew names that I'm familiar with that x you know come from some of these like uh x arena is a typical girl's name uh x shoshana another girl's name x um x uh I don't know x Gila David probably I don't remember the x translation of like Hava Nagila but is x that is that uh that word David that was x up there x yeah so come let us rejoice yeah yeah x yeah x and have this that's actually that's the x first lines got the two words uh x is that first line x is about what it says the same crowd x down there uh eight zero five six or x eight zero five five x as a common word I mean a holiday seems x cut Torah that's um the joy joy of the x Torah x um and yeah it's a comp very common uh x word good word fantastic and it x seemingly also in the Greek there's you x know quite the variation as well x um but the one that really as far as x applications to scripture x um this uh 5479 this uh Chara x um really was was Amplified as far as or x say Cara x um you know this cheerfulness x calm Delight gladness uh Joyful Joyful x uh fullness and we see some of these you x know great uh applications that uh that x come to light and our brother Richard x even you know already x uh spoke to one but Matthew 25 uh x into the Lord x uh fear not behold I'll bring you good x tidings and great joy group two x um everyone just think about that in the x nativity scene right that the birth of x Jesus uh Luke 15 likewise I say unto you x there is a great there's joy in the x presence of the angels of the Lord the x angels of God over the one sinner that x repenteth x um in continuing you know this is kind x of two variations of the same word here x uh in John 3 he that hath the bride is x the bridegroom but the friend of the x bridegroom standeth and hearth and x rejoices greatly because the x bridegroom's voice this is my joy x therefore it's fulfilled so two x applications of the same group Greek x word x and again John 15 these things I've x spoken to you that my joy might remain x in you that your joy might be full x to do on uh Acts 20 but none of these x things move me you need to count I x my life x dear unto myself so that I might finish x my course with joy not the ministry x which I received Lord Jesus Testify the x gospel the grace of God my brother x Steve had a fantastic prayer to start x when he's talking about the endurance x you know finishing my course with joy x Hebrews 12 look into Jesus the author x and the finisher of our faith who for x the joy Brother Richard that was set x before him endure the cross despising x the shame and is set down at the right x hand of the Throne of God so you see x this it's it's not just a a x circumstantial emotion but this is a x this is a x um a way of being which really uh is is x profound and and we have to look now uh x part of it is you know looking at x how do we sustain this how do we sustain x Joy uh because you know Joy occurs 165 x times uh in the King James version where x you see pain is only 25 times uh x and that's that's something that there's x there is you know Joy is a very much a x prevalent concept within scripture x and I was really interested in x understanding how can we x exert a practice to maintain and sustain x Joy x and one of the interesting comments that x was was brought during this uh x this whole discussion x um was the interlying relationship x between joy and gratitude as I was x researching Joy how do we maintain joy x we actually realized that gratitude is x the foundational vehicle in which we can x maintain or Flex the mental muscle of x joy and one of the key takeaways that I x read in my research was the key to x misery is to look at your hardship and x ask why me x the key to Joy is to look at your x blessings x and ask the same question x so we talk about joy talk about x gratitude I'll repeat that again the key x to miseries look at your hardship and x ask why me x the key to Joy is to look at your x blessings and ask the same question x so I'm searching for Joy I'm trying to x understand even from like a scientific x standpoint how do we approach Joy how do x we create a a practice of joy and as x mentioned uh x to maintain a state of Joy regardless of x circumstances from both a spiritual and x a scientific approach we first and x foremost have to understand gratitude x and understand that it is the vehicle in x which we have sustain Joy so a great in x edifying uh x talk on this uh podcast and it's also on x YouTube uh is a I guess you call it a x dissertation uh from Dr Andrew huberman x professor of neurobiology and x Ophthalmology at Stanford University x School of Medicine uh so this lab x focuses on neurogeneration x neuroplasticity stuff I couldn't even x you know barely pronounce their mind x spell x um brain states of distress fear of x Focus Optical performance x so he was talking about this which is a x great uh listen as I was actually x driving over up North with with the x family and we it was a x it was a great opportunity to condition x uh the state of joy as I'm learning that x vacation with three kids under three x isn't so much a vacation as it is just x keeping three kids alive in someone x else's house uh so it was definitely a x very timely research for me and I hope x it's a a timely topic for everyone else x as well x so Dr huberman points to uh in the x scientific Community what is some x groundbreaking research and we'll x actually explore that in reality uh x scripturally this is this is nothing new x this is something that we are designed x to have a correlation between gratitude x and joy and uh scripture actually brings x us together for us but there's a studies x that they'll talk about the fact that x gratitude is an important aspect of x human uh x The Human Condition essentially this is x this is a study done by University of x Southern Cal x uh in 2015 and it talks about the fact x that they've actually established that x gratitude leads to benefits for both x mental health and interpersonal x relationships x so they've conducted experiment which x induce uh gratitude and participants and x they've actually looked at magnetic x Imaging of the the brain understood x brain scans into how does the brain x react when expressing gratitude and the x results reveal that the ratings of x gratitude collided with brain activity x um and so ultimately what it boils down x to is that x there is positive emotions that x accompany the experience of benefiting x from Goodwill of others so when we x experience gratitude there's actually a x legitimate response in our brains that x have x um profound impacts to our well-being x so they go on and so the the actual x stimuli that was used to elicit x gratitude the uh subjects had to listen x to stories of the Holocaust right great x immense x heartbreak Devastation x um it's essentially the lowest one of x the lowest points of all humanity and x they also understood that you know x there's these uh survivors of the x Holocaust that told these stories of x survival and these stories of gratitude x you know there was a one that stuck out x was x um a woman Holocaust Survivor that said x she couldn't see for three years because x the Nazis just broke her glasses she x could not see and she was overcome with x emotions of Joy when one of the Allied x liberating soldiers gave her his glasses x and she put those glasses on for the x first time and could actually see for x three years and this was like x overwhelming to her x and what's interesting is they tracked x it's neural Imaging and track the people x that were hearing these stories and the x reality of it was is that x um there was this immense positive x emotion that was that was being tracked x within the brain and that it's actually x tracked to x um well-being which we'll get into x um you know what what that ultimately x means uh for us and what the incentive x is for us what the why is around why we x want to establish a gratitude practice x of Our Own x so this was like groundbreaking x scientific research but if you look at x scripture this huge correlation between x uh appreciation and joy so we have some x examples here uh the psalmist Psalm 77 x rejoice in the Lord be righteous and x give thanks and Remembrance for his x Holiness Nehemiah 12. uh this is the x dedication right and so the dedication x of wild truce when they sought the x Levites and their places to bring to x them Jerusalem to celebrate with x dedication of gladness and Thanksgiving x with singing and symbols Harps and liars x and they offered great sacrifices that x day and rejoice for God made them almost x compel them to Rejoice great joy and the x women and children also Rejoice the joy x of Jerusalem Was Heard far away x so we see that gladness that x Thanksgiving that component of of x compulsion of rejoicing that that's uh x coming from a sense of gratitude of x being able to re-establish the walls of x Jerusalem uh and then first x Thessalonians 3 and 9. for what things x can we render to God again for you for x the all the joy we're with we joy for x your sakes before our God so there's x there's a distinct correlation here x Dr human he he distills those x um those really prolific studies I try x my best to read through them uh kids in x the background and uh you know not not x my my foray really so if there's any uh x neuroscientists here if you want to take x over this slide you're more than welcome x to uh if not I will do my best to x stumble through this x um but you know Dr huberman talks about x the fact that the Nate the main neural x modulator social gratitude practice and x pro-social behavior is serotonin that's x like the reward Behavior Uh and there's x two uh major brain areas are activated x with gratitude the medial prefrontal x cortex x and the interior uh cognitive cortex now x I don't know much about the frontal lobe x the only time I had to do a dissertation x on the frontal lobe was when I was x writing an apology letter to the x principal of Cumberland High School uh x for jumping off the roof of the high x school and I had to explain how x prolifically sorry I was for escaping x mid in mid-class x um in jumping off you know from the x second floor walking out of the x essentially jumping out of the window x and then jumping off of the roof x and uh I remember they brought me into x the x uh Vice principal's office and were of x course on the personal basis at this x point he's like x oh actually called me last name usually x Susie what were you thinking like were x you just looking up looking at me x looking up what were you thinking x I said you know I x I just uh I don't know I want I wanted x to see if it you know the case was never x an emergency if you know could be done x you know just trying to work my way out x of it I had to write an apology but x wrote a profuse apology letter you know x I'm so sorry and then the post the mail x frontal lobe which is in charge of x decision making is not fully mature x until mid 25 and that was my scientific x explanation to my stupidity and you know x once you're presented with that you're x like oh okay so you know that was that x was a nugget that my mom you know she I x think she tried to you know x at least come for her own self with her x son's stupidity by being like maybe x there's hope when he's in his mid-20s x hopefully maybe x for an excuse after they're 25 no no x excuses then you're locked in yeah x you're you're x no but it's so not only is it in charge x of decision making what we're learning x here x um is that it's also in charge of giving x us context around experiences in life it x allows us uh to create x um a level of not only just we're saying x something gratitude but empathy it x allows us to empathize with people and x there's actually as part of this is a x great study that was done x um around a video that kind of shows the x enlightenment of the frontal lobe where x you know subjects were shown a video of x a kid running around x um this this classroom and then putting x keys in a desk right and runs out and x then an adult starts looking you know x comes in afterwards and starts looking x around and x those that have that developed frontal x lobe were able to identify that adult in x all likelihood is looking for those keys x and that's something that is really x distinct to the human brain x now this is what's really interesting x though x gratitude is a minus that activates the x prefrontal cortex and it sets the x context for our experiences it's a x context for how we experience life x this is really important x um so it allows us you know for example x uh there's also shown like substantial x benefits of you know your immune system x and your inflammation if you're taking x uh ice baths or cold showers and that's x something that it allows you to x contextualize hey this this pain this x this kind of uh agitation of a cold x shower is is actually beneficial for you x so it provides you a context to say this x pain or this negative response your body x is experiencing is actually a net x benefit for you so it's it's really x important x um and so this is something that x gratitude essentially is a way that we x can Flex the mental muscle of the x prefrontal cortex in a way that provides x us more empathy and it provides us x actually a lot more than just empathy x it's called um and x anti-social Behavior so our front our x frontal lobes is in charge of either x uh essentially choosing you know the x kind of x um and this is something that the x scientists believe is is really a a x mechanism you know for our own Survival x of you know is this a is this a hug or x is this a fight you know what what am I x running into uh in a manner of words x and gratitude practice is a pro-social x behavior which means it allows us to be x more effective in interactions with x ourselves so this is a big one with x ourselves and others x have an effective gratitude practice can x have large positive effects on physical x and mental health x incorporating gratitude practice one to x three times a week can have long lasting x impact on self-reported well-being x so our brains are a seesaw of these x pro-social behaviors that we see and x these offensive behaviors that keep us x safe and we have the capacity for x happiness and great concerns based on x how we condition our gratitude practice x furthermore this is this is a pretty so x that was we looked at one study the x other study that Dr human uh brought to x light was a gratitude practice decreases x inflammatory cytogens uh assault x something what it means is you know the x inflammation in our body is actually x reduced when we have a continued x gratitude practice x and then here's uh some really x interesting elements right so some x benefits of the proper graduate practice x resilience to Trauma from even prior x experience this has actually been used x to alleviate PTSD x um in soldiers inoculation from trauma x later on in life by shifting fear x networks so you have resilience from x past mental scars and you have x conditioning for future x it also enhances uh social relationships x in a personal and professional life x and it shifts the pro-circle uh x pro-social circuitry in the brain it x activates circuits in the hearts and x lungs associated with breathing so when x people actually experience this and when x they're when they're put in for studies x it's actually shown to be a positive x impact not only in our brains but also x in our bodies really really incredible x stuff and I look at this and I was like x you know how is the creation of not only x the human body but the human mind how x could you ever look at this and say this x is an accident x but it It yields a question x right so we we've talked about the x benefits x now I have to ask the uh the the x collective uh what does a effective x gratitude practice look like x um made sure as part of Prayer in my x mornings x um try to really emphasize the things x I'm thankful for and I almost kind of x started with like a circle of you know x the x you know my almost kind of x my inner family out in like a kind of a x rotating circle of gratitude you know x just keep zooming out from like the the x micro to the macro and that's that's x truly what most responses are is that x you know it's a list of you know what x you're thankful for x here's the plot twist and here's the aha x moment as far as the science behind this x scientifically speaking x that invigoration of the frontal lobe x the the mental the flexing of the mental x muscle that allows us to weigh heavily x more heavily on those pro-social x behaviors x it's not actually writing down what x we're thankful for x it's the receipt there's two different x options x it's the receipt of gratitude genuine x gratitude from someone else right so you x have to you have to first earnestly give x something you know it's not like hey you x know x my wife bought me the shirt I don't like x the way it looks here I have it you guys x like thank you yeah you're welcome like x it's not it's not anything casual it's x like hey I made this for you I took time x to make this for you and someone's like x you know this really is making a x difference x but then here's here's the blessing and x this is this is incredible because the x science backs this up that x you can also vicariously experience x gratitude x so uh directly received guided right x examples letter of thanks you know text x hey I really appreciate this x um or just that that connection before x or after memorial service you know x talking to a brother or sister what do x you think what have they done you're x genuinely thankful for x um and we have the wholeheartedly give x the receiver to feel uh gratitude x but here's this is this is the really x exciting one about the vicariously x experience and gratitude so the x scientific studies point that reading or x hearing stories x uh Association or experiencing empathy x or sympathy for someone who received x help x as actually giving those pro-social x neurons that that fire up so we talked x about x um survivors of the Holocaust and x there's also a study that was done where x scientists tracked the heart rate and x the breathing rates of subjects who were x reading a novel x and there was a stink correlation with x the increased heart rate and breathing x rates based on how the protagonist was x contending with the antagonists and so x we actually have a biological response x to uh story x and this is you know the bad news of all x this is that you can't manufacture your x joy through you know the unfortunately x that practice that I've that I've x probably sunk five six years into the x good news is first and foremost you can x virtually spread Joy right that that x good mental and physical benefit of joy x by spreading gratitude x you can by spreading appreciation so if x you you buy the more articulate you are x of your appreciation the more you can x spread joy to your brothers your sisters x or whoever you interact with the cashier x you know your your Lyft driver whoever x your teachers your co-workers whoever it x is you can be the Catalyst for Joy by x spreading gratitude as a vehicle x but then that's the good news but here's x the amazing news even if you're not x receiving gratitude in your daily x interactions science has proven you can x achieve Joy by harnessing our gratitude x through Reading scripture x unlike other practices does mediation or x uh breath work the positive effects of x gratitude practice are felt almost x instantaneously so 60 to 90 seconds x after practicing gratitude make a x sustained uh making it sustainable to x incorporate it regularly x so x uh x this is a great opportunity God x essentially wired our brains to read x scripture and look at whatever the x characters enduring and experience x gratitude vicariously x through that character x that can provide these immense mental x and physical benefits I mean this is x just profound stuff this is really where x we can condition our Joy by being x intentional with gratitude we can x condition our joy to be more resilient x so I uh x I I had to do it I had to make a acronym x because frankly otherwise I I lose I x lose x um any type of memory uh I don't know x you know too many hits to the Head uh I x don't know but I it's one of those x things that if I don't if I don't make x an acronym for it I'm gonna lose it so I x distilled my learnings into x um safe x you know we think about gratitude think x about safe you know you can think about x it keeping you safe you can think about x it locking this up in your heart as a x safe but what's safe uh ultimately boils x down to as an acronym x struggle what was the challenge x of that character x right and within when we're reading x scripture Aid how did God help x and and please be be mindful of this x because after this like I'm I'm done x with my Wednesday night class I'm x turning it over to uh all of you x brothers and sisters so so get ready uh x have your pens out be ready be ready to x go for this x f is feel how did the characters Express x gratitude to God x and experiences how can we apply this to x our own experience how can we make it x sticky x and then repeatedly reflect on the story x and really connect with it for a few x minutes and scientifically this has been x shown to be one of the best mechanisms x for us to exercise gratitude vicariously x that ultimately is conditioning our x minds more Pro social more empathetic x more leaning towards Joy our default can x be Joy when we go through this and what x the science has proven is that you x really only have to do it x um they say that minimum three times a x week x um x you know ideally we do this daily x but we're going to go through a couple x examples x and then ultimately my hope is x um you know we have we have enough time x that we can actually go through x um some other character studies uh x after the fact so I'll just jump right x into this one this is this is my easiest x one uh as far as someone that I connect x with I always x I've always been challenged growing up I x just like Zone up or doing the readings x like you know most of the Old Testament x did not did not Captivate me I remember x even my teenage years right my lowest x spiritually x King David was always someone that I x paid attention to and like was just x locked in I don't know if it's you know x the the young boy thinking about you x know the David and Goliath and even the x warrings the Jonathan's I I see uh uh I x I guess I have to say sister by I always x think uh Bonnie growing up you know my x my Sunday school anytime she was talking x about King David I would finally shut up x and listen you know it was actually I x was actually paying attention we were x talking King David because as a x character x um just immense struggle like the whole x way through right I mean even as a as an x outcast to his brothers one of eight you x know like I you know his father you know x Jesse I've ran out of sons oh I guess I x have this at the youngest I mean he's x out x you know with the Sheep I don't you you x know you want to you want to look at him x you think he's King you know he was he x was x his brothers thought you know they x thought he was just stirring things up x when when he went and visited them I x mean you know you just think about even x before we get to some of the more x cinematic stuff just the context of him x you know killing the the lion you know x just David and his adolescence was just x such an incredible story and then the x the whole story just ramps up from there x so when I think of David's struggle it x doesn't matter what circum you know x unfortunately I'm not really uh slinging x rocks at any Lions literally these days x uh but maybe there's a metaphorical one x that I can relate to x and then I think about how how God could x God help so there's a lot of instances x um within David's struggle just in his x adolescence that I related to in my x adolescence x um but now I think about David's uh x struggles you know even the Middle Ages x now uh I'm not being pursued by my boss x we'll say x um you know he's not he's not actively x pursuing me enough to get me and x um but there's there's definitely some x contention that x if you look at the safe model and then x apply it to x Psalms are you know first and second x Samuels you can really elicit some great x opportunities for gratitude that we can x tap into so we talk about how how can x God help and we'll we'll look at I'll x read second Samuel 22. this is the my x only one I'm gonna do and then x afterwards I'm turning it over to the x crowd so x um brothers sisters by all means whoever x wants to jump in next is more than x welcome to but x um David expresses this is a great x example of David's x um gratitude right so second Samuel uh x 22 x for the sake of time because we I want x to get through a couple of these I won't x read the the entire chapter but if you x look at this safe paradigm x throughout the entire chapter of second x Samuel uh 22. I mean honestly all the x Psalms in all Samuel it's it really is a x great exercise in gratitude but uh we'll x read through this quickly and and David x spake to the Lord the words of the song x on the day when the Lord delivered him x from the x hand of all his enemies and from the x hand of Saul he said the Lord is my rock x my force my deliverer my God my rock and x whom I take refuge my shield the Horn of x my salvation my stronghold my refuge My x Savior you saved me from violence x continue on 36. you have given me the x shield of your salvation x and your gentleness I love this your x gentleness may be great x you gave a wide place for my steps under x me and my feet did not slip x continue on Authority for you equip me x with strength for battle you made those x Horizons against me sink underneath me x 44 you delivered me from Strife my x people you kept me in the head of the x Nations x people whom I had not known served me x 49. who brought me out of my for my x enemies you exalted me above those who x Rose against me delivered me from Men of x violence for this I will praise you x the Lord among the Nations and sing x praises to your name great salvation he x brings to his King and shows steadfast x love to his anointed to David and his x offspring forever x so we might not have x you know sword and shield building x enemies you know but he talks about x David he talks about internal strife you x know maybe we have internal family x conflicts he talks about you know those x who are against him you know maybe we x have challenges at work that this can x relate to you know I can I can relate x this to my own experience x you know maybe it's his own internal x challenges with guilt you know of what x uh occurred x um x you know the the whole story of Delilah x um x there's x there's so much here that x David's story x uh that that really you can you can peel x from x so uh x as far as my own experience x uh I think that's you know King David is x one that I can I can really relate to uh x for a lot of different reasons and so x and so when I think of it I read of x words of I get a little bit of feedback x here but when I when I read of you know x his gratitude x if we personally you know x vicariously x look at the the just the you know the x the sheer Joy x um that David has and expressing the x gratitude for his slew of challenges his x slew of struggles x uh that is actually something that we x can now condition our minds x um for gratitude and ultimately for joy x so the next one x that comes to mind is is Jonah maybe x it's because I've been reading way too x many uh kid Bible stories for night time x and Jonah's just like a classic because x you know every cartoonist can draw a guy x getting eaten up by the whale uh but it x is it's a great it's a great relatable x one x um does anyone want to x take on the story of Jonah you know talk x about just a quick synopsis of the stuff x the struggle uh quick synopsis of how x God helped x um x how don't Express gratitude you know and x like I gave a you know quick synopsis x here of kind of some of the x um how he was able to thank God but then x ultimately how this can be applied to x our own experiences you know who's x someone that right now is x being swallowed by a a whale who's x someone that x um x wants to go the opposite direction in x Innova you know maybe not literally but x does anyone want to give a crack at uh x exercising and answering some of these x uh this the safe questionnaire so to x speak x for the story of Jonah x rich x come on Rich are you letting the fire in x the backyard or could you could you x handle this one x so what do you what do you want a x synopsis of it x a quick a quick synopsis I think we can x all talk about the struggle right but x yeah so so the thing with Jonah is you x know is that a time of Israeli expansion x so they were really doing well and the x Assyrians were looking to come down into x Israel so this was a perfect opportunity x you know for uh you know the Assyrians x to get you know wiped out by God and x Jonah didn't want to go because you know x we love this country and so he goes x through all these trials and x tribulations x um and he's very thankful obviously when x he gets you know spewed out uh you know x by the fish x um but then you know he's he's back to x his bad attitude because you know the x gore to the you know the little tree x that he was under x you know died of you know a worm or x something like that so it just you know x there was a lot going on with Jonah you x know he it was um you know I think he he x had General on genuine love and care for x for his country but he tried to kind of x manipulate God's word of God's Will and x because he tried to do that he got x himself into a lot of trouble and x um you know I think there's a lesson x there for us as well you know we we can x try to manipulate situations in our x lives that may uh may not be the path x that God wants us to be on I know that's x you know that's happened a few times in x my life x um you know there's an old saying if you x want to hear God laugh tell him your x plans you know we all have these plans x that we're going to do and we all have x you know uh you know Jonah had a plan x um but you know his plan did not x coincide with God's plan and at the end x of the day God's will will be done not x only in our lives but in uh the lives of x everyone on this world x we appreciate that x um that's exactly it and it's x interesting because Rich you mentioned x kind of x what transpired after Jonah too if I do x think it's interesting that x um x you know Jonah we talked about this x prayer from the belly of the fish x and I called out to the Lord out of my x distress and he answered me out of the x belly of Shield I cried and heard my and x you heard my voice for you cast me to x the deep into the heart of the Seas and x the floods surrounded me and all your x ways your Billows passed over me then I x said I am driven away from your sight x yeah I shall again look upon your Holy x Temple x the waters closed in over me to take my x life to deep surrounded me weeds were x wrapped about my head roots in the x mountains I went down to the land whose x bars closed upon me forever yet you x brought me up x my life in the pit oh Lord my God but my x life was fainting away I remember the x Lord my prayer came to you into your x Holy Temple those who pray regard to x Vain Idols forsake their hope instead of x fast love but I with the voice of x Thanksgiving will sacrifice you what I x have vowed I will pay salvation Belongs x to the Lord the Lord spoke to the fish x and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry x land x this instance of the fish in my own life x uh I think of in college my freshman x year x uh I was you know x none of us that way I was the complete x opposite I was just reveling and and all x that college had to offer and x um I ultimately was hospitalized with a x platelet count that it just couldn't x even really explain how I wasn't just x bleeding out x um they couldn't measure it essentially x which is x um x crazily low x and it brought me low and that was my x metaphorical you know swallowing of x um x you know the the fish you know and I uh x had that prayer in my hospital bed when x I was hospitalized for almost a week x um saying like you know if I get out of x this x um okay you know I will uh x I will walk in the way intended I I knew x what direction I needed the head I was x just in the complete opposite so you x know that's something I can I can look x at in my own experience x and then understand you know through the x appreciation that x Jonah has the gratitude that Jonah has x to God for allowing him to get out of x this I can then relate and you know x solicit this back to my own experience x of my own appreciation for for surviving x um that that very Touch and Go dynamic x as a as a college freshman so yeah very x um x when I look at this perspective it x really does bring these passages to life x you know it's no longer just a casual oh x this is just like this is intermediate x you know the remedial children's starter x pack of Bible stories you know this is x this is something that really resonates x it was I would say before before uh x little Nora was born it was a lot more x stringent we're I think we're getting x back into equilibrium x um but x the there is there is some some science x base to it too and it's it's a great x it's a blessed opportunity to do it x actually right now in June if we want to x talk about kind of the the impact of a x morning routine if you don't have a wife x that's very sensitive to sunlight x um x great a great ideal is to actually sync x your your sleep up with the Circadian x rhythm keep a window open let the 5 a.m x sunlight if you can if you can let that x wake you up naturally uh go outside x actually get that that uh vitamin D go x out and actually get sunlight and if you x can be barefoot ground yourself in the x the morning dew uh there's actually the x scientific benefits of that as well are x you getting a little earthy crunchy x honestly I know I don't get your granola x out get your scripture in right get your x story whatever it is that you you know x this is this is kind of your ideal x environment right get kinetic right off x the bat uh get grounded and actually x um get your scripture out in in that x environment this is this is frankly how x this is like my ideal x um that that's I think works best for me x as far as orienting my my Paradigm x properly for the day x and then get your scripture out and x actually talk through before it was it x was that prayer of kind of circular x gratitude x um but now it's it's going to be more x around that that safe principle for x whatever their readings have you know x how can I apply the the safe principle x within the context of of the waypoints x of our daily readings