The Power of Thanksgivingنموونە

Told to Remember

Gratitude is a choice, not a byproduct

Yesterday, we saw that gratitude is a biblical command. It’s a choice that we can make. But there is another myth around gratitude that needs to be exposed. Gratitude is a choice, not a byproduct. Many people think they would be grateful “if only…”. We can think that the key to our gratitude is in getting our own way, our desires, health, relationships, the dream possessions, or a trip, but these things never satisfy us. I am not saying that I am against being healthy, having strong relationships, and having nice things, but that is not where thankfulness comes from.

Chasing fulfillment externally never lasts. Gratefulness flows from the heart. It isn’t the byproduct of good circumstances. Which is a good thing because if my gratitude hinged on my circumstances, then I would be a victim of things outside of my control and be powerless to fulfill this scriptural command.

In 1 Thessalonians, Paul tells us to rejoice always… Give thanks in all circumstances. In Philippians, he tells us he has the secret to being content no matter our circumstances.

Normally, when we hear things like that, we think that the speaker doesn’t understand what we are going through or what we have been through, but Paul went through so much that he can speak into this like no one else. He went through constant persecution, beatings, imprisonment, difficulty, lack, attempted murder, abuse, and constant danger.

Paul’s directions to give thanks weren’t rooted in a life of ease. He faced constant opposition and persecution, yet he is the one who tells us to give thanks in all circumstances. Note that he says IN all, not FOR all. There is a big difference there. James 4:7 tells us to resist the devil, and in John 10:10, Jesus told us that the devil comes to kill, steal, and destroy. 1 John says that Jesus appeared to destroy the works of the Devil. So there are things that aren’t from God, things we are told to resist. We don’t need to give thanks for the works of the Devil, but we can still give thanks while we are going through it. We can give thanks that God said He wouldn’t leave us. We can give thanks for where God has been faithful. In everything, we can find something to give thanks for or to complain about. We get to choose where we fix our eyes and our hearts, and what we will give voice to.

One of the most joyful people I have ever met was in the hospital after he had his foot amputated. This man’s joy and gratitude in tragedy were amazing. It impacted me deeply. First, I was grateful for two feet, but it was so much more than that. He didn’t have a great path laid out ahead of him, but he remembered what God had done in His life. He put his faith in the God who got him this far, would get him through it. He gave thanks and praise to God for His faithfulness even during his struggle.

I have also seen the opposite. I have read the articles of the rich and famous committing suicide or turning to drugs in desperation due to their misery. They have what the world is striving for, yet it didn’t bring fulfillment. If we search externally for what is found internally, we will never find what we are looking for.

Thanks and praise have very little to do with circumstances and a lot to do with where we choose to focus. The Book of Ecclesiastes records Solomon’s quest for fulfillment in every external source. He tried wisdom, pleasure, alcohol, accomplishment, shopping, possessions, money, collector items, entertainment, sex, fame, indulgence, and work. While he achieved them in excess, he said that he was empty.

Ecclesiastes 2:24 ESV There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God.

The ESV has a note by the word enjoyment, “make his soul see good.” Choosing to see the good to give thanks. Thankfulness is a choice we can make. Our circumstances can’t make us grateful, and we can choose to be grateful no matter our circumstances.

Today, let us again choose to be grateful. Look back at yesterday's list of things you were grateful for and add something to it.