"Thankfulness"

A lot of times when we hear the word “thankfulness” we think of Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is the one day of the year where the world and everybody in it focuses on being thankful for everything that they have. However, thanksgiving should be practiced every day throughout the year. Thankfulness is an attitude that we can choose to look at life with and it can be a huge mental game-changer. When we decide to look at our lives with thankfulness we take the focus off of the things that we don’t have or the circumstances that we wish we could change and put them on the positive things in our life. An attitude of thankfulness produces joy towards Christ because we know that all the things we have been provided by Him and for Him. However, being thankful doesn’t depend on our circumstances, where we are in life, or even the day we are having. Psalm 118:24 says, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” It doesn’t say, “If you are having a good day then praise the Lord!” Even on a day when we are hurting, struggling, or stressed out a little more than normal, we can still rejoice because we know that the day was given to us by the Lord. We can choose to focus on the things that we do have, the things that the Lord has provided to us, and the promise that He made to us.

Having an attitude of thankfulness is an everyday choice, and a great way to create that attitude is by making a daily list of things you’re thankful for. From things like having a roof over your head, a working car, food on your table, or even a flower outside your window, to reminding yourself that there is an eternal and all-knowing God that sent his one and only Son to die so that He could have a relationship with you. We can be thankful for anything and everything, knowing that it all came from God and we know that the things He puts in our life are for good.

Seeking thankfulness while in the midst of a storm can be seemingly difficult. No matter what the circumstance is, whether it was self-inflicted because of a bad decision, or if there seems to be no explanation as to why it is happening. But even through what may seem to be the worst time in our life, we can be thankful because of this one thing: God. There is no circumstance or anything that we can do, that will separate us from the love of God. In Romans 8:38-39, Paul writes, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul didn’t say “I think” or “I wonder if these things can separate us from the love of God.” He said, “I am convinced.” There was no doubt in Paul’s mind, and his heart was convicted of this truth. By waking up and thinking about what we are thankful for and allowing that to be the first thought on our mind each day, we are able to start each day on a positive note with God. We can walk through life knowing that no matter what we are going through, God is there.

When we focus more on God and the things we have to be thankful for we are able to be reminded of the good things we have rather than the struggles. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” If we fix our eyes on God and ask Him to open our minds and hearts then we will have an overflow of thankfulness. Paul says, to “rejoice always”. When praying, especially about things I am struggling with, I have found it helpful to start and end my prayers by rejoicing God with 1-3 things I am thankful for. This has helped me to not be consumed by my struggles or what I am going through but allows me to see the light in those moments too. When thinking of reasons to be thankful, we can be reminded that we can have a deep and intimate relationship with the Creator of the heavens and earth, our Heavenly Father.

Our challenge for all of us is to focus on the things that we are thankful for. We should ask God to show us the things that He has provided for us and to find a light in what may be a dark time. We may be going through a historical pandemic event, but we believe that God is doing mighty work within us if we just allow Him to work in us and change our hearts. Once we do that we may be able to see more of the good that is around us. God calls us to have the fruits of the Spirit and thankfulness one of them. We should focus on being intentional in our thankfulness in order to find it in the midst of the storms. Our prayer is that the world would have a change of heart as we focus on the positivity in our lives. As we focus on the things that we have, we pray that we would have an overflow of thanksgiving and give praise to the Lord, the provider of all things.

Psalm 118:1 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”