The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
What makes this time of the year feel so joyful? Is it the festive decorations? The lights strung up on every house and building in town? Or the food that tastes so good, it makes you go up a pant size or two?
What if it’s not any of those things?
What if it’s actually thankfulness?
What if we practiced thankfulness all year round? I think if we did that, every day could feel like a holiday.
Yes, saying “thank you” to your Thanksgiving Day host for cooking a 20 pound turkey or thanking your friend for helping you out of a sticky situation lets them know that they are appreciated, and encourages them. But it does something else too. Something right inside your own heart. It softens it. It changes your perspective, and it brightens your day with joy.
Thanksgiving is one of those things God tells us to do, not just because it’s good for others, but because it’s good for you.
“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
Thankfulness makes life's giant mountains seem more like a hill. It makes the good times taste even sweeter in hindsight. And it turns a hardened and cold heart into a compassionate, bleeding heart for God’s Kingdom.
“I will give thanks to the Lord because of his righteousness; I will sing the praises of the name of the Lord Most High.” - Psalm 7:17
To be thankful for God’s blessings in my life draws me to praise God. Then from that praise, He draws me to consider those with less. Those who are in the middle of scaling their own mountains.
The funny thing about thankfulness is that God uses it to pull my gaze away from myself and out toward others. And not only that, but it breaks my heart for the hurting and suffering I see when I look outside of myself. It urges me to want to do something about it. To seek the heart of God and beseech Him, “Use me, Lord!”
That’s how He uses the practice of thankfulness to strengthen and build His kingdom. That's why it’s a command that he’s been giving to His people since the time of King David, and still applies to us today.
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever. Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise.” - 1 Chronicles 16:34-35
This scripture comes from a poem of praise that King David instructed the priests to declare when the ark of the covenant was first brought to Jerusalem. Though things were going great, David knew God’s people would need to be reminded to thank Him when it’s hard. That’s why he included that bit about deliverance from the nations.
David instructed the people to praise God no matter what, because He always comes through. And the cool thing about this poem is the number of times this command is repeated throughout scripture. I guess it must be pretty important…
Thankfulness is a tool for building faithfulness.
When we pause and reflect and look for something to be thankful for in every circumstance, we are building up a reservoir of ebenezers. A whole arsenal of reminders that God is good, so when we find ourselves in another hard season, it’s so much easier to say, “God, I trust you.”
It becomes second nature to look for the good things He’s doing and be thankful.
...or to be thankful for the hard things before they become good things...
Oof.
That’s a tough one.
But it’s possible. You might even find yourself acting like the apostles of the early church in Acts…
“...rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name.” - Acts 5:41
When it seems like there’s nothing to be thankful for, be thankful for your breath. Be thankful for the God you serve because of all the things He’s delivered you from before. Be thankful for Jesus and the sacrifice He made for you. If nothing else, be thankful that Jesus is coming back and promises that all things will be redeemed!
I don’t know about you, but that feels like something worth celebrating!
More than anything, thankfulness reminds us of God’s power and might and just how inadequate we are in comparison. It’s a confession that I am not strong enough on my own, and a recognition of the grace I don’t deserve. That’s because thankfulness at its core is recognizing God’s goodness and expressing gratitude for it. It’s receiving a free gift that we couldn’t earn and responding in humility.
My challenge for you this year is to practice thankfulness all year, and just watch what God does with it!
Comments