How To Be Truly Thankful- Developing Gratitude as a Follower of Jesus
Thanksgiving is this weekend, so likely not surprising, I’m sharing some thoughts on being thankful. This is not just seasonal though. I’ve been thinking about being thankful since the amazing Harvestfest event we had Saturday and the baptisms on Sunday. I am so thankful to be part of what God is doing here at FBC!
So, with this in mind, here's a question and perhaps different way of looking at the idea of thanksgiving not as an event but mindset: do you feel pressured to be thankful as a Christian? Have you ever thought about it? Let me tell you what I mean. There seems to be an almost unspoken pressure in the realm of Christian social media circles to be thankful for each day you have on earth. Instagram captions about thankfulness are in style. Even if you’re not on social media, do you ever feel pressure to be grateful? Have you wondered how to be truly thankful in all circumstances?
Don’t get me wrong- you SHOULD be thankful.
If we get right down to it, we all should be thankful every day. Think about it: we don’t deserve the next breath that we draw apart from the fact that God is gracious enough to give it to us. We do nothing to earn it or the gift of life we’ve been given. So, we should be grateful that God has us on this earth to fulfill some important part of His will. But the reality is not every moment, or even every day, is Instagram-worthy. It’s definitely a hard line to find, let alone to walk it. And so, often it’s faked. Have you ever done that? I know I have. The reality is a truly thankful soul is hard to achieve and hard to always keep. So, here are a couple of thoughts that might help us find our joy in true Christian gratitude no matter the circumstances and in a consistent manner.
Lower Your Expectations
Really Chris? Should I not be RAISING them? Ecclesiastes 3 reminds us of this: “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven… A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.”
What does this have to do with being thankful? While some may say “I don’t deserve this good life that I have” in reality more struggle with God and what they don’t have. Even those who follow him can fall into this. Many ask God for something greater. Some ask for a marriage free from conflict or children who are obedient to their parents and teachers. Others ask for a life free from disease and pain. There is a lot of discontent and that makes it hard to be thankful.
The issue is many people believe they deserve more and so find it hard to be thankful since they’re focused on what they don’t have. Isn’t that pride?
Here’s the problem- pride can lead to the very death of our joy and thankfulness. It kills many good things in our life. When we look in the Bible at the fall of mankind, it’s been said that pride was Adam and Eve’s first sin. When the devil suggested to Eve that God was holding out on her, both she and Adam latched on to that. Their pride was winning the battle, and they were no longer thankful for the Garden, only ungrateful for what they didn’t have. That was the day that Adam and Eve’s joy was lost.
So how do we deal with this in our lives?
We lower our expectations which counters the society we live in that tells us we ‘deserve’ this. Generally, this is by advertisers and companies wanting to sell us something. Humility leads to thankfulness and so too be thankful for the things we do have. Paul said this in 1 Timothy 5: give thanks in all circumstances. So, the next time you feel like grumbling, take the time to name some things you are thankful for and then thank God. It’ll change your whole outlook!
Give Thanks for the Hard Things
So, clearly, I’m looking at thanksgiving in perhaps a different way (hope I don’t spoil your upcoming dinner!) Here’s the thing, when we shift how we look at giving thanks, this will help us to even give thanks when things get hard!
James wrote this in the first chapter of his very practical look at living out the Christian faith: “when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.” Really? Do you? Do I???? Honestly, this is a struggle for me and not a default position when troubles come. Rather, I try to figure out how to correct or get through the situation. Rarely do I say, “Gee, thanks God for troubles!”
Let’s work on this together.
Joy isn’t the opposite of trouble; it’s a choice we have despite our trouble.We can choose joy in the middle of a broken family, memories of a painful childhood, or even our own failing health. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, troubles might actually be our bridge to true thankfulness or a spiritual breakthrough that couldn’t come any other way. I know this has been the case in my own experience. Often we don’t see that until after something is done. This is kind of a ‘theology of hindsight’. What happens here is it gives something to consider the NEXT time trouble comes. So yes, this is a process, much like our spiritual journey. But when we can have this kind of mindset, we can then be thankful no matter what. In the meantime, as you go through troubles, and even if the turkey is dry, the key is to remember whose hands you are in.
And with this in mind, from Jennifer and I, we wish you a blessed, joy-filled and THANKFUL Thanksgiving!
In His grip,
Pastor Chris