A few years ago, I read a devotional about the differing attitudes of children at Christmas time. The author had been watching video clips of youngsters opening their gifts on Christmas morning. 2 opposing examples stood out. In the first, a child went into a full-scale tantrum after receiving the wrong toy, but in the second, a little girl was bouncing up and down with glee, having put her hand into her stocking and extracted a nut.
We may click our tongues in frustration at the attitude of the first child, but when we stop and think more closely, how many times have we been like them? Have there been occasions when we’ve flown into a rage over the slightest disappointment? Or worse, do we smile on the outside, but fume on the inside? Those around us may not know, but God does, and he is always more concerned with what’s going on in our hearts than he is with outward appearances. (1Samuel 16: 7.)
Sadly, thanksgiving isn’t a holiday we celebrate here in the UK, but even if we did, should gratitude just be limited to one day? I feel it’s no coincidence that the day following Thanksgiving is one of the busiest shopping days in the year, when everyone rushes out to spend. We call it black Friday. Gratitude is instantly pushed aside and replaced by greed, as people queue before sunrise to get the best sales.
We all love a good bargain, but do we truly need everything we buy, just because it’s on sale? Or are we sometimes swept along by the advertisements urging us that the next greatest product is just what we need to enhance our lifestyles, and we couldn’t possibly be happy without it? Should we linger over thanksgiving a little longer before getting swept up in the mayhem of Christmas spending?
There are many verses in the Bible about giving thanks, and about being content with what we have. The apostle Paul explained that he had learned to be content with whatever circumstance he found himself in, whether that was well fed, or surviving on rations in a prison cell. (Philippians 4: 10-13.) In fact, it is at the end of this passage that we find the famous words: “I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:13.) Like all things, having a heart of gratitude and contentment comes from the Lord. In our natural state, we can often be greedy, discontent, and self-seeking, and it is only through prayer and a desire to be more like our Saviour that an attitude of gratitude and contentment grows.
Perhaps we find it easy to give thanks for the big things, like the birth of a child, a loved-one’s healing, or financial assistance that comes just in time, but do we remember to be thankful for the things we take for granted, like clean water, electricity, warm homes, and an abundance of food on our tables? We can fall into the trap of almost thinking we are entitled to these things, and we forget that in many parts of the world, these so-called essentials would be viewed as luxuries. WE can be humbled when we visit foreign lands, where food is scarce, and those who are blessed enough to have homes struggle to keep them warm and dry.
In 1Thessalonians 5: 18, Paul urges us to give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus. “All circumstances” encompasses the bad as well as the good. It’s natural to give thanks when life is going as we want it to, but it’s more of a challenge on the bad days, when we feel as though a dark cloud is hanging over our lives and we question whether our prayers will ever be answered. During these times, when we lift our eyes up from our circumstances and focus them instead on our Saviour and all his blessings, we will feel our spirits being lifted. A change of focus prompts a change of attitude, and even if outwardly nothing changes, inwardly, we move from a place of discontentment back to contentment that comes as a result of knowing our Saviour is in control.
Perhaps you are approaching the Thanksgiving season with a sad heart. If so, I would encourage you to begin making a mental list of all your blessings. Start with the basics – food, shelter, warmth … Then go on, and ponder the goodness of our God. Consider how he sent his only Son to die for us, even though we are sinners and have done nothing worthy of his love. Then, think about those whose situations are far worse than ours. Oftentimes, we don’t even need to look far afield, since we may know of families in our local areas who are struggling to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads.
I know life can be tough, but if we will only take time to count our blessings and give thanks, I believe wonderful feelings of contentment despite our difficulties will follow. Our sinful natures cause us to be ungrateful and discontent, but remember that if we are in Christ, we are new creations, (2Corrinthians 5: 17), and we have the Holy Spirit within us to help us overcome sin and ingratitude, and to clothe us in the kind of attitude of gratitude God’s word teaches us to wear.