Being Thankful
“Don’t have anything to be thankful for? Check your pulse!” Since you are reading this article you don’t have to check your pulse. Did you know that each day 158, 857 people die in this world, 6,619 people die each hour, 110 people die each minute and almost two people die each second. So by the time you finished reading this first paragraph almost forty people died in this world. There are so many reasons why we should be thankful, but unfortunately we take a lot of these wonderful blessings for granted.
Author David Leonhardtis suggests that “the two most important words in the English language are ‘thank you.’ They are the ultimate in positive thinking, true for business success, for social pleasure, even for self-actualization. For business, a thank you tells a prospect or partner that you are appreciative of their effort. For social interaction, expressing gratitude is important to show how you value that relationship; it’s a bonding phrase. But it is most important at a personal level for our own pursuit of happiness.”
“I thank God for my handicaps, for through them, I have found myself, my work and my God.” – Helen Keller
Helen Keller once said “I thank God for my handicaps, for through them, I have found myself, my work and my God.” I personally believe that being thankful has very little to do with what we have and where we are, it is largely dependent on our perspective of life. That explains why there are many thankful people in the third world countries compared to the western world. Thankfulness is a choice but unfortunately many are stuck with the hole of the donut instead of being grateful for the donut.
Thankfulness is a choice but unfortunately many are stuck with the hole of the donut instead of being grateful for the donut.
Thankfulness is much more than a comparison of our own situation to someone else’s. It is a great blessing that we have enough food to eat, a house to live in, clothes to wear, friends and family to share, however we should always remember that any of these blessings can be taken away from us in an instant. True thankfulness is a state of being content in Christ and a way of life that focuses on God’s goodness instead of one’s entitlement.
G.K. Chesterton asks “When we were children we were grateful to those who filled our stockings at Christmas time. Why are we not grateful to God for filling our stockings with legs?” The Psalmist says in Psalm 92:1-2: “It is good to say thank you to the Lord, to sing praises to the God who is above all gods. Every morning tell him, ‘Thank you for your kindness,’ and every evening rejoice in all His faithfulness” (The Living Bible). Thankfulness sets our perspective right and helps us not to take any of our blessings for granted.
Thankfulness satisfies us, glorifies God and paralyzes our enemy. Satan tries to trick us and occupy our minds with all the things we do not have. He takes great pleasure when God’s children grumble and complain about life. But every time God’s children choose to praise and thank God despite the circumstances around them Satan smells defeat. 2 Chronicles 20:20 – 22 describes a story that demonstrates the power of praise and thanksgiving. They sang praises singing “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever” and God did wonders beyond their imagination. Choosing to thank God despite our circumstances reflects our trust in God’s goodness & sufficiency. Let us also join George Herbert who prayed “Thou hast given me so much…give me one thing more, a grateful heart”.
True thankfulness is a state of being content in Christ and a way of life that focuses on God’s goodness instead of one’s entitlement.
– – Author: Rev. Francis Burgula – –
