I love the Thanksgiving holiday! I love the history behind it, the traditions of it, as well as the spirit that surrounds it. Oftentimes, local chuches will have a “Thanksgiving Service” or something of the sort. I find that people are generally more intentional in their thankfulness during this season, and that is not a bad thing. We feel more connected when we’re regularly attending church. I feel sharper when I am regularly preaching and teaching. And we usually feel more thankful during this time of year. These truths are natural. This in no way diminishes or trivializes the posture of thankfulness many experience during this season. It is a time when life for many of us slows slightly, affording us the opportunity to recognize God more, which will always lead to a thankful heart for the Christian.
I am not often thankful. I often tend towards self-focus, which leads to an even further lack of thankfulness, which ultimately leads to anxiety and despair. The “new man” in Christ has been redesigned to set his gaze, thought life, and affections upon Christ. The old natural creates a serious tension with the new natural. This is precisely why “stuff” never brings lasting satisfaction. The only true and lasting satisfaction is found in Jesus Christ. All other avenues of attempted satisfaction will fall short and lead to, yes, even further anxiety in a world that runs rampant with just that.
There are practical and playful ways to deal with an unthankful, ungrateful heart. One is (and I credit this one to my wife) the “thankful game.” We began “playing” this with our daughter when she was a toddler. When she was four years old, we once hiked a section of the Dolly Sods Wilderness in West Virginia. The trail we chose was supposed to be four miles. After mile five, we realized we were lost. Our daughter made it to mile number six, and things got very uncomfortable, both physically and mentally. My wife began the “thankful game,” and our daughter engaged, reluctantly so. And so did I. You’d be surprised how one’s attitude can change when encouraged to articulate ways in which you’ve been blessed. Just saying it out loud makes a difference.
Another way to deal with a lack of thankfulness, and this one shoots more like an arrow to the heart, is through Scripture. Running to certain passages to be reminded of who we are in Christ often leave me both stunned by God’s goodness, and ashamed by how seldom I experience that stunning awe. One of my favorite passages to dwell on is Ephesians 1. The Apostle Paul reminds us that God has essentially dumped Heaven’s riches on us, as well as making us accepted through Jesus. Philippians 4 is a great reminder of how we are to pray; praying with thankfulness, which dispels anxiety and brings true and lasting peace. How often do we pray prayers of hedonism instead of prayers of thanksgiving? Psalm 103 gives us twenty-two verses of reasons to be thankful.
Ultimately, we don’t thank God as we ought, because we don’t know Him as we ought.
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When I choose to spend time with God; to acknowledge His goodness, to gaze over my life that’s been uniquely marked by His grace, I find it difficult to complain. But that takes intentionality. I admit, I don’t wake up most mornings determined to be thankful. It may be an afterthought at best. But when we acknowledge Him for who He is; the King of Glory, and we acknowledge ourselves for who we are; peasants, we’ll be perpetually stunned into awe of His splendor and extravagance.
Thankfulness to God is a recognition that God in His goodness and faithfulness has provided for us and cared for us, both physically and spiritually. It is a recognition that we are totally dependent upon Him; that all that we are and have comes from God.
Jerry Bridges
I love this statement. The truth is that we are totally dependent upon God. We won’t see that until we see ourselves for who we really are; peasants. Peasants don’t bring much to the table of a king. And very few kings would choose a peasant as an heir. But we have been chosen despite our lowly status and lack of resources.
Lastly, as we enter into this holiday season, look at the act of thanksgiving as a discipleship opportunity. We will be with family. It’s been a tough year. People are on edge. Perhaps you could be the member of your family who leads the rest in a joyous moment of basking in God’s goodness, potentially setting the tone for the rest of your day together. Go around the room and articulate your thankfulness to God. Verbalize your thankfulness for each other.
I would recommend a few songs that might help usher you into a spirit of thanksgiving:
- Worthy, Worthy by Elevation Worship
- The Doxology; Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow
- Worthy is the Lamb by Hillsong
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