Thoughts on Gratitude

Happy Thanksgiving week! Honestly, I hadn't thought I would be able to blog this week, with family coming in and the busyness of the week, but today God has been impressing on my heart some thoughts about gratitude.  Last week in my post I gave you a little glimpse into my home this Thanksgiving, and shared with you some of my decorations and recipes. This is my last quiet morning for a few days, and as I have been setting up the Pack N Play and cleaning the high chair in anticipation of our youngest granddaughter being here for Thanksgiving with her two sisters, it made me realize once again how much we have to be thankful for this year. The last year we lived in Illinois, we spent Thanksgiving alone because it was too far for any of our children to travel for such a short time. Thinking about that Thanksgiving made me think about the element of genuine gratitude. When our homes and our tables are full, our family healthy, and life is going well, it is easy to have an "attitude of gratitude." But what about when times are not so good? In those times, gratitude doesn't come so easily but I think it is even more necessary, because a thankful heart is a safeguard against depression, fear, and bitterness. Gratitude and ingratitude are both contagious - try spending time with people who are either full of gratitude or full of complaining, and you will see what I mean.

So how does one cultivate a grateful heart? I think the secret lies in the fact that realizing gratitude is not something we conjure up or put into practice when the circumstances in our lives make it easy to be thankful, but true gratitude is a lifestyle. It is a choice, and it is Biblical. It comes from realizing how much God has done for us, and what He has given us in Himself if we know Him. Over and over again, the apostle Paul talks about "abounding in thanksgiving." The book of Colossians mentions thanksgiving in every chapter. Ephesians 5:20 says "giving thanks always for all things." And the best-known verse that comes to mind is 1 Thess. 5:18 - "in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." The end of that verse about it being God's will for us is key. We are told in Romans 5:3-5 and 8:28-29 that we can give thanks because everything that enters our life serves His purpose to perfect us. Maybe we have a tough time giving thanks for the problems in our lives, but we can give thanks because of the One who is always gracious, wise, and good. Ingratitude is offensive to God because not only are we not obeying Him, but we are showing a spirit of failing to acknowledge the fact that His ways are perfect and wanting to be independent of Him and His desire for our lives.

This year as you sit at your Thanksgiving tables or attend the Thanksgiving service at your church, I hope you will expand your idea of what you are to be grateful for. It isn't only homes, jobs, food, family, and health. Because if that is what drives our gratitude, what happens when those things fail? We can be grateful for God constantly being at work in our lives to accomplish His plan for us, and for His love, peace, joy, grace, wisdom, and so much more.

Have a Christ-Centered Thanksgiving!

Love,
Kathi