Choosing Gratitude
Thanksgiving Day is upon us. In anticipation of the upcoming holiday, we consider the Bible’s teaching about giving thanks:
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thes. 5:18).
“Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:20).
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil. 4:6).
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17).
The Bible commands gratitude. Not only that, it commands gratitude “in all circumstances,” “always and for everything,” and “in everything.” We get that life is full of blessings and that we should be grateful, but how many of us are willing to thank God in all circumstances? All of us, regardless of our blessings, would have to admit that these commands are challenging.
The Bible never asks us to do something beyond our ability. We must conclude, then, that it is always possible to choose gratitude. We may just have to look a little harder for the less obvious blessings in some circumstances.
For example…
We can be grateful for difficult circumstances. James said, “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (Jas. 1:2-3). Trials—no matter what form they may take—are opportunities. The difference between people of faith and unbelievers is not the amount of suffering they encounter but rather the way they respond to it. God’s people do not lose their heads when they are tested. They emerge like gold (Job 23:10).
We can be grateful for difficult people. The church at Corinth had numerous problems, yet Paul opened his first letter to the Corinthians with thanksgiving (1 Corinthians 1:4-9). Every person has been made in the image of God, and none of us is perfect. God has been patient with us, can we not extend the same grace toward our fellow human beings?
We can be grateful for limitations. Every day we're confronted with limitless decisions—what to buy, what to watch, where to go, what to do. Technology and prosperity have brought us closer to limitless potential, and we are more stressed out and anxious than ever! Limitations, the right limitations, bring order to life and direct us toward the choices that will fulfill us. No, we can't do whatever we want. And that is something for which we should be thankful!
We can be grateful for failures. Everyone sins. Everyone makes mistakes. A person without faults has either deceived himself or has stopped trying to grow, which is in itself a failure. Making mistakes is part of the way we learn to do better. The gospel gives us a way to move on. The past should be left behind us. We should look to a bright future in Christ, following the example of the apostle Paul: “Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14).
It takes perspective, but we can be thankful even in difficult circumstances. Choose gratitude. Life should focus on what’s going right, not on what may be going wrong.
Drew Kizer
