Gratitude

a discipline learned through practice

Being thankful. It should come easy this time of year…right?

Actually, giving thanks in all things doesn’t come naturally for us any time of the year.

A new study of everyday language use around the world, published in the Royal Society Open Science journal, found that in informal settings people almost always fulfilled requests, but only 1 in 20 times did they receive a “thank you” for their efforts. 

Thanksgiving Day is a great holiday. It causes pause for us to show appreciation and return kindness. It is an acknowledgement of our gratitude.

Gratitude strikes at the heart of envy and entitlement. It is a discipline that must be learned through practice. But there are great dividends.

A thankful heart and grateful words rest in God’s provision and trust in God’s timing.

Gratitude can be described as:

• a specific behavior – Thank you for cooking that pumpkin pie…it was delicious!
• a personality trait – The gracious uncle everyone loves at Thanksgiving Dinner.
• a feeling – I’m so grateful for my family.

When we focus on the good stuff, the blessing, it improves multiple areas of our life, including relationships, attitude, and even character. In fact, an NBC News “State of Kindness Poll” found that 70% of people would forego a 10% raise for a more gracious boss.

Gratefulness is the very essence of how Jesus, our sinless Savior, lived his life here on earth.  When Jesus shared his final meal with his disciples on the night he was betrayed, the Bible records in Luke 22:19 “He took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them.” 

Ann Voskamp in her book One Thousand Gifts references this verse and goes on to explain the meaning of “gave thanks” as the Greek word eucharisteo. The root word is charis, meaning grace. But eucharisteo also holds its derivative from the word for “chara” meaning joy. She goes on to explain that “our deepest joy is found at the table of thanksgiving.”

Jesus gave thanks on the night before facing his deepest suffering – being nailed to a cross and being separated from His Father for the sins of the world. In what seemed to the world as defeat and failure, Jesus knew to give thanks. Thus, at the table, a place of great joy was found.

Do we realize that in our everyday lives the only way to enter the full life is to give thanks no matter our circumstance?  It is so easy to speak the language of discontentment, worry, and self- condemnation never being fully satisfied.

Ann Voskamp reminds us, “Life change comes when we receive life with thanks and ask for nothing to change.”

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

This Thanksgiving season as we pause to show our appreciation and acknowledgement for God’s provision, may we learn to practice the discipline of gratitude.

It brings great joy!