Thanks-giving

One of the greatest keys to a joy-filled life is practicing the art of thanksgiving. I’m not talking about the feasting and fun holiday quickly headed our way, I’m talking about the daily habit of gratitude. Even science has shown that the people who express gratitude the most end up being happier because of it. Gratitude puts on display the condition of one’s heart and the trajectory it’s taking. And, as I've recently discovered, we have a great deal of control in these matters.

I once spent a semester delving deep into the Apostle Paul’s letters where I read all of them three times in three months. I was taking a course on the subject from a brilliant scholar from whom I learned a great deal, but one thing struck me in that process that has altered me to this day: the command to always be grateful. It’s not a suggestion, it’s not even an encouragement--it’s a command.

I hadn't thought of gratitude as a command before--something to diligently hold to and actively do. It’s the result of good circumstance right? When good things happen you’re grateful, when bad things happen you’re disheartened and upset. I am affected by my circumstances. Some things hurt, others bring joy where they tread, and I can’t change how things make me feel. Some people are ‘Glass half full’ kind of people, others ‘Glass half empty.’ That’s what I’d always thought.

But Paul has other thoughts on the matter. He tells his readers to, “Be grateful in all circumstances” (1 Thess. 5:18). “And in all that you do, whether in word or work, do it while giving thanks to God the Father in the name of the Lord Jesus (Col. 3:17). The verb “give thanks,” εύχαριστέω, comes up 38 times in the New Testament! Here’s a list of several. The point? Thanks-giving is not an option you can chose to leave on the table uneaten if you want to live full in the Kingdom. You must feast on it daily. Breathe it in and speak it out. The air on Earth contains 78.09% nitrogen, 20.95% oxygen, 0.93% argon, 0.039% carbon dioxide, and small amounts of other gases. These are vital elements which keep our bodies pumping life through our veins. The air of Heaven similarly carries life throughout our soul but is made up of different substances. It’s 57% adoration, 38% gratitude, and a mixture of other elements too ineffable for human language at the present time. Breathe Heaven’s air and you invoke life to be on Earth as it is in Heaven.

Life and death are in the power of the tongue. You get to choose what you cultivate in your soul. Choose to be thank-filled. Choose life. Choose to thank God for every little detail of good in your surroundings with your first thoughts of the day, everyday, mingled with all your thoughts, all throughout the day. There is joy to be had, by goblets and gobbles when you sing the song of thanks-giving.

***** Rejoice all the time, pray unceasingly, and in every moment give thanks. This is God’s desire for you as you live in Christ Jesus. - 1 Thess. 5:16-18 (my translation)   ******