Thankfulness from the Inside Out

I just finished writing my holiday “thank you” cards a few days ago.  This is a regular January occurrence, owing a lot to my mom’s good training, and the fact that I AM very thankful for the generosity of those whose gifts I received!

Thankfulness and gratitude in everyday life…well, that is a different story.

It seems that  I am quick to notice the “not quite right” elements of my life,  complain in grumpiness about the things that go wrong, that irritate, that disappoint.
I have 20-20 vision for the imperfections and weaknesses of others, especially when it affects my life, my plan, my idea of how something should be.

Sigh.
In the Apostle Paul’s words, that is not how I learned Christ.

As a child of God, I’ve been granted spiritual blessings and earthly provision that I can rest secure in. All else is window dressing.  And I should be grateful.
And so I pray for heart-change, the only kind of transformation that is truly of God. Make me grateful, Lord, from the inside out.  Give me eyes of grace as I view others. Give me a mind bent toward eternal values and not so consumed with what will fade away.  This work is God’s.

For my part?
Well, I’ve learned some strategies to help point my nose in the right thankfulness direction:

1. A friend has given me a “Thankfulness Calendar”.  It is simply a page for each month with 30 blank lines.  My job is to jot down what I am thankful for.  So far this month I have the following: coffee, cozy fire, good night’s sleep, music,  sisters, a warm car, God’s Word, and laughter.  This list serves as a tangible telescope to point me to the gratefulness Star, and remind me my galaxy is filled with constellations of God’s blessings!

2. Communicate to a different person each month (or more often!) my gratitude for something that typically goes unnoticed. I put it in writing, or sometimes plan a short speech :).  Maybe it is the Bible class teacher that studies ardently each week,  the friend who greets me with a smile and always asks how I am,  my father who raised me to work hard/think of others/love God, the older couple in front of me at church that’ve been married for more years than I’ve been an adult!
The plan is to snoop out the undetected examples of God’s goodness  in my life ---and thank them.

3. On the days that really suck* (*this is an Aramaic word for the Greek verb in the aorist tense past participle that translated means….REALLY, REALLY BAD).  Anyway, on the days when things go wrong, I will choose to find instead the evidences of God’s grace and provision amid the difficulty.  When the  car breaks down = the mechanic that is able to get it in to work on. When the work day is frustrating and unproductive, = the truth that I HAVE a job (and it is heated!).  When my aging body acts its age = the gift of doctors, of medicine, of a husband’s backrub to help. When my child frustrates the schedule so that I am late (again!) = the precious truth that I HAVE a child (at least for now…if I don’t clobber him).   Instead of the downward spiral of “How miserable I am, let me count the ways” …I will try to consider the truth in ALL these realities that God works in the brokenness of situations to accomplish something beautiful in what He is making of me.
And that demonstration of grace is something I can be truly, and abundantly, thankful for!
Along with SO MANY other things!

And this thankfulness to Him….breeds joyfulness in me!
(Have you noticed how ugly discontent, a critical spirit, and self pity are? And how miserable they feel?!)

Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  1 Thessalonians 5:18

Not Just Good...Good for You

Today’s newspaper had another article on the benefits of ‘being more active’ (i.e., physical exercise). According to recent findings, scientists have tied more than 90,000 cases of breast & colon cancer every year to prolonged sitting. The implication, of course, is to increase your activity level.

 Indeed, exercise is one of those ‘magic answers’ for an amazing array of problems. It is not touted to cure them, but its consistent practice is part of a lifestyle that thwarts and averts everything from depression to diabetes, insomnia to infertility. Undeniably, it is one of those lifestyle choices that ‘just makes good sense!’

 My post today is not meant as a ‘rah, rah, go join a fitness club’ message, however.

Instead, I’d like to suggest a parallel to a principle in Scripture.
 In the same way that physical activity contributes to the prevention of and (sometime partial) cure for a multitude of distressing ailments, God instructs his people to a lifestyle choice that reoccurs in His Word as a response to all kinds of things which displease Him.

 It may not be the single and direct cure, but like exercise, operates robustly in the process to either prevent or eliminate the evil.

 What am I speaking of?

 Thankfulness….the heart attitude and action of giving thanks.

 Consider just this sampling in Scripture… 

• In response to sexual immorality or impurity, filthiness, foolish talk or crude joking…let there be thanksgiving (Eph 5:3-4).
• To his people Israel: Instead of ritualistic sacrifices and burnt offerings, offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving (Ps 50:14).
• To the wicked, to those who forget God: the one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me (Ps 50:23).
• In response to worry and anxious fears, we are by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving to let our requests be made known unto God (Phil 4:6).
• As we consider those who are fellow members of our church, even if we are irritated, hurt, put off, or can’t figure them out, we are to give thanks to God for them, recognizing God is at work in their lives (2 Thessalonians 1:3).

How does thankfulness impact these various sins & situations, from sexual impurity to pagan rebellion, from worry to improper worship to “this person is driving me nuts”? Here's my speculation:

1. Thankfulness points one to God as the ultimate giver of any/all circumstances.
2. Giving thanks directs one to His sovereign control even amid things that don’t seem ‘good’ to us.
3. Choosing to count blessings derails our natural bent to focus on what we believe isn’t right, as if we deserve something better/different (can you say ‘entitlement’?!).
4. And giving thanks reorients our position as child of God, clay in the potter’s hand, slave to our master, and sheep in our shepherd’s flock. (None of these positions ‘calls the shots’…nor would it be a good outcome if they did!)

 So, if you are a ‘glass half-empty’ kind of person, ask God to change your heart focus and then walk forward in active pursuit of a different perspective: thankfulness.
Someday in Heaven we may find it is the supernatural antidote and prevention of 90,000+ spiritual infirmities, available without a prescription or even breaking a sweat---through God's grace.
(God is like that though = commanding something that He knows will provide just what we need! What a great God we serve!)

1 Thess 5:18 “ Give thanks in everything, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”