The Choice of Being Thankful

[intro]Let’s be honest. We naturally don’t always feel thankful Or, am I the only one who wrestles with this heart condition of desiring what I don’t have?[/intro]

By “feel thankful,” I mean, we don’t always exude emotional thankfulness and appreciation. It is so easy to focus our thoughts and desires on those things that we don’t have and wish we did. I, like so many others, tend to not appreciate what I already have and long for those things in life that I hold so high in value – that I don’t feel I have – or have enough of. Stuff. Possessions. Esteem. Money. Respect. Spirituality. Love.

For me, having a heart of thankfulness and gratitude toward God often comes down to a choice: being thankful for what God has already given me. Recently I was reading and thinking about this area of my life – and once again read a passage in Psalm 103 that I have read and thought about numerous times. This passage helps me to choose to be thankful even when my heart is not. It says:

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. – Psalm 103:2

Wow. God commands us to not forget ALL of His benefits – those things in life that we don’t deserve and could never earn the right to have.

I always have this choice in my life: be thankful or be unappreciative. When I stop and really think about it, given my previous condition before God as it states in Romans 5:6, “When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners,” and where God has now by His grace allowed me to be not only positionally but conditionally, I have so much to be thankful for. My longing for more or for other things which I don’t think I have – yet feel I need – can be put into true focus as I understand and appreciate what I already have in Jesus. The Gospel message which we hold firm to, gives us no alternative but to be thankful.

For starters, I have acceptance before a holy and just God. In spite of my sin and my selfish/self-centered nature, God chose to forgive me on the basis of Jesus’ sacrifice for my sin. He loves me in spite of my past, present, and future screw-ups. God no longer looks at me as His enemy, but now His son. God’s son. His son who has complete access and communication with the God of the universe.

I have real forgiveness – not some cheap ‘forget ‘bout it…..’ kind of forgiveness that reflects simply overlooking my sin. No. Forgiveness that is derived from justice and mercy as a result of Jesus’ sacrifice for my sin.

Freedom from the burden of sinning toward the God I love is now a reality. As His son, I have been set free from the natural propensity toward sin, and now have the ability of being able to love and obey Him as He so deserves.

I have the Holy Spirit living in me permanently – living out His power in my life in such a way that I can honor God.

I have the privilege and ability of loving and serving others – just as Jesus did for us. Matthew 20:28 tells us, “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” No matter my gifts, personality, or emotional wiring – I am able to love and serve and sacrifice for others in such a way that brings honor to the God we love. I no longer need to be locked into living for myself and for those things that have no eternal value. My simple / ordinary life can have value and purpose.

I belong to a spiritual family that values Jesus and the gospel more than appearance or status. A spiritual family that desires more than anything else – to promote the work of Jesus and the eternal value of people. A church family that takes Jesus’ command seriously, to bring the gospel to our families, our community, and our world.

I’m thankful for a wife who loves and accepts me – and reflects her love of Jesus in our marriage. I’m thankful for grown kids and grandkids……and the fact that God is working in all of their lives. I’m thankful that they love me in spite of my weaknesses and all the things I could have/should have done better in raising them.

For me, just putting down in writing all the areas of my life that I truly can be thankful for is so good for me. You can be praying for me – that I will continue to grow in doing so daily and moment by moment, to choose to remember all of God’s benefits in my life. A thankful heart is not derived from the circumstances of life – but rather from the reality of what I already have in Jesus.

 

Image Credit: Ed Schipul