Fostering an Attitude of Gratitude
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
I Thessalonians 5:18
Summer has come and gone. The sun is setting earlier each day and the morning hours greet us with a new briskness. Leaves transitioning to their beautiful fall colors will soon be covering the ground. Cozy sweaters are being pulled out of closets and extra blankets are getting set on beds. Apple-Cinnamon and Pumpkin-Spice flavored EVERYTHING now stock the store shelves (between the Clearance Back-to-School items and the Halloween and Christmas decorations, of course). All these changes signal that fall has arrived and with it, a reminder to be grateful.
Unfortunately, it seems that gratitude has become lost within the commercialization and busyness of our modern life. Instead of being encouraged to take time to slow down, reflect on our blessings and give thanks, we are pressured into the need for “more” – do more, buy more… more, more, MORE. Sales and bargains and advertisements fill our mailboxes and newsfeeds. Black Friday has morphed into stores now opening on Thanksgiving night, for extra “special” deals.
“The Christian’s life should be one of thankfulness to God.”
Charles H. Spurgeon
However, as Christ followers, our lives should be marked by gratitude. We should be living counter-cultural. American consumerism has taken this season of reflection and gratitude and made it into a commercialized token, squeezed between the highest grossing day for candy sales and the materialism of the holiday shopping season. It is a real struggle not to get sucked into the frenzy of busyness and overspending. So how then, do we live in a way that fosters an attitude of gratitude, not just once a year, but every day?
First, we need to understand what GRATITUDE means. According to Wikipedia, the word comes from the Latin word gratus meaning “pleasing” or “thankful”. It is defined as: the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful; a readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. Therefore, based on this definition, GRATITUDE is recognizing that you are the recipient of a gift or some form of kindness, from another and appreciating it. Additionally, thanksgiving is the action that expresses our gratefulness. Several definitions also listed “contentment” as a synonym for being grateful.
“When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or you take them with gratitude.”
G.K. Chesterton
What kindnesses have you received? Are you acknowledging and appreciating these gifts from others, or are they being overlooked- sometimes even expected? How ready are you to declare or show your appreciation? James 1:7 tells us that “every good and perfect gift is from above.” Do we recognize that God is ultimately the One bestowing these kindnesses in our life? Whether big or small, from friend or stranger; they all are blessings from above.
The Lord is worthy of our gratitude ALWAYS! The phrase “Give thanks to the LORD for He is good; His love endures forever,” is first found in I Chronicles 16:34, and is then repeated seven more times throughout the Old Testament. In addition, variations of the phrase are found over forty more times in scripture.
Giving thanks is a key component of worship.
“I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.”
Psalm 7:17 esv
Throughout the Bible, especially the Psalms, we find people giving thanks to God for His attributes. As we begin to discover and learn more about know WHO God is, praise should overflow from us. He never changes; He is worthy of our gratitude in all circumstances! We have so much to be thankful for, simply because we have been redeemed and chosen and loved by God. Yet, because of His character, He often gives us blessings on top of blessings. Many songs of praise are found celebrating how He has rescued, empowered, provided for, blessed, and delivered His people.
“I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.” Psalm 118:21
At the Last Supper with His disciples, Jesus gave thanks for the bread and the cup, which were symbols of His body broken and the blood He spilled which provided the ultimate gift—our salvation. He rescues us from judgment for our sins, redeems our relationship with the Father, and secures for us, an eternal hope. Until He returns, communion reminds us that yes, we have MUCH to be grateful for. As the apostle Paul said, “Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9:15.
In order to exhibit this lifestyle of praise, we must make a choice. Jesus told us that in this broken world we can expect trouble. Life is full of hardships, struggles and trials of all kinds. Oftentimes our circumstances may not be what we expected. In our heartbreaks, disappointments, uncertainties and fears it is hard to have gratitude. Did God really mean ALL circumstances? Yes, unfortunately He did. However, He is STILL the same God we thank when we “feel” blessed and all the spiritual blessings He has given remain. Where will we place our focus? Will we dwell on what we do not have, or on the blessings that are ours because of all that He has accomplished for us?
“Gratitude helps you see what is there instead of focusing on what is not.”
unknown
The reality is, whether we find ourselves on the mountain top of praise or in the valley of despair, we have something to be thankful for. It is our choice which we will spend most of our time thinking about. Research is showing more and more that having an attitude of GRATITUDE produces positive effects in our entire physical being. It contributes to better sleep patterns and improves our mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, depression and can also boost our self-esteem. Studies in neuroscience are even showing that certain areas of the brain can be physically changed by practicing gratitude.
In contrast, for the Christian, focusing on the positive is not empty optimism. Giving thanks in all circumstances does not mean we deny or ignore our difficulties. One commentary put it this way: “Thankfulness is a form of contentment, or we could view it as peace of mind or tranquility. A truly thankful person is usually not an individual who worries a lot. Being thankful puts our thoughts on God, rather than on our problems.” Our ability to be grateful has a lot to do with how well we accept that God is in control, not us. He has an eternal purpose for everything. Unfortunately, we are usually too focused on the here and now and what we lack. We must ask ourselves, are we able to humbly trust in His Sovereignty over our lives?
According to the definition above, there is one final step in fostering an attitude of gratitude: we must be ready and willing to express our appreciation. What if the time and energy spent on pursuing what we do not have, shifted to seeking out ways to give God praise? Are we prepared to give testimony to what God is doing in our lives? How intentional are we at letting the people in our lives know how important they are to us? Do they know how much we genuinely appreciate them?
God’s plan has always been for those He blesses to share with others. When we choose to practice gratitude, it inclines us to offer encouragement instead of criticism. We are compelled to serve and be generous, and not just look out for ourselves. Out of the overflow of our appreciation of all that God is, our response can only be worship as we offer ourselves back to Him as living sacrifices.
I’d like to end with the following story shows how important fostering an attitude of gratitude is not only to our mental health, but also our spiritual growth.
There is a legend of a man who found the barn where Satan kept his seeds ready to be sown in the human heart, and on finding the seeds of discouragement more numerous than others, learned that those seeds could be made to grow almost anywhere. When Satan was questioned, he reluctantly admitted that there was one place in which he could never get them to thrive. “And where is that?” asked the man. Satan replied sadly, “In the heart of a grateful man.” Mrs. Charles E. Cowman, Springs in the Valley, September 3rd daily reading
So let us be a people with hearts, minds and mouths that are overflowing with the praises of our good good Father. Our Lord and our God who is worthy to be praised. May we have hearts that are always ready to give an account of the many ways the Lord has provided and blessed us.