Thankfulness is an inescapable constant theme throughout the Bible. (Eph. 5:19-20; Col. 3:15-17) Paul says to the church in Thessalonica, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” Why is it so difficult to be thankful?
Thankfulness comes from God’s presence
Gratitude does not come from having things go our way or from having more, but from having more of an awareness of God’s presence and goodness. Gratitude is a byproduct of a way of seeing things. Psalm 103:2-5 says,
“Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things.”
Notice the psalmist says to not forget all of God’s benefits. Do you? Do I? I think we do. In order to be grateful, we need to recognize that something has been done for our benefit. To be grateful we must believe not just that benefits are coming our way, but that they don’t come at random or by accident. They come from somewhere outside ourselves. They come from Somebody, a benefactor, and there has to be a beneficiary: one who receives the good. That’s you.
You are the beneficiary of the benefits of a God who has your best interests at heart. The beneficiary has a crucial part, for there to be gratitude, beneficiaries must believe they are receiving something they did not earn, merit, or deserve. Being truly grateful extends beyond our own convenience. Gratitude also goes against our need to feel in control of our environment.
Have you ever known someone who is perpetual complaining? I remember when I said to a someone, “Hasn’t this summer been great?” “Oh no, it’s horrible – I hate the heat! I’m always sweating and the cost to run my air conditioner is killing me!” Then I commented to the same person, “Hasn’t this cooler weather been nice?” “Oh no, it’s horrible – it’s so cold. I just want to be outside and enjoy warmer weather.”
Can you believe that? Have you ever noticed how ingratitude will turn even a blessing into a burden? How it makes opportunities feel like obligations? But thanksgiving is the key to freedom. It reminds us of our God who has already gone ahead of us to clear the way and make open the path to freedom and life. Becoming more thankful means learning to reinterpret the situations in our lives with the fundamental confession that we don’t deserve anything.
Gratitude grows with humility.
Gratitude always involves a posture of humility. When you believe you deserve the good things you receive, you don’t feel the need to be grateful to others. If I believe I am owed something, I will not be thankful for it because I think I’m entitled to it. As Steven Furtick said, “When entitlement is high, gratitude is low. When gratitude is high, entitlement is low. Gratitude begins where our sense of entitlement ends.”
So often we think we’ll be more grateful when I get that job, buy my dream home, when I finish school, when my troubles disappear. Why do people who keep getting more and more, show less and less gratitude? My sinful mind can convince me I’m entitled to ______, I deserve it and if I don’t get it other people must be rude to me.
The Apostle Paul wrote, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile.” They perceived themselves to be entitled, to be owed. They didn’t see themselves as grateful receivers of grace every moment and grace is never earned or deserved.
Gratitude comes with imperfection
If we look, wait and hope for perfect people and perfect circumstances we’ll never be grateful. We’ll miss out on God’s desire for our lives. We’re glad for our friends, for our homes, our cars, for success when it comes our way, for our jobs if we have them, but their absence does not prevent us from being grateful, especially for God’s greatest gift.
So above all, Jesus followers, having much or very little thank God for his gift of Jesus: his matchless life, his unrivaled teachings, his sacrificial death, his triumphant resurrection. “Thank you Lord, Blessed are you, O Lord.”
