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the Art of thanksGIVING

Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].

—I Thessalonians 5:18

I learned the common courtesy of saying thank you during early childhood, and I continued that training with my children. No doubt, many of you reading this article are baby boomers and received the same training. If you have children and grandchildren, it’s probably traditional teaching within your family as well. In fact, like me, you are probably annoyed when children today, and especially adults neglect this common courtesy.

It was always exciting to receive toys, gifts, goodies, and other items as children. Oh, remember the birthday presents, and the Christmas gifts? I vividly recall the exchange of gifts at Christmastime. The room reverberated with excitement as the rippling and crumpling of wrapping paper mixed with unrehearsed but harmonizing expressions of gratitude that sent exhilaration off the chart. The atmosphere reeked with thanksgiving because everyone had received the gifts they desired whether great or small gifts. Our hearts were overjoyed and giving thanks was easy, to say the least.

Saying thanks for compliments about our appearance or apparel was equally important, but not equally grasped as receiving things. Occasionally, while in shopping malls or the grocery mart I hear the same training technique used years ago. If the child does not respond immediately after a compliment, the mother mediates by asking the child, “What do you say?” She may have to ask the question again before the child remembered what to say, but not really knowing why he should say it because he’s accustomed to saying thank you only when he receives something tangible.

Unfortunately for many people, ungratefulness is a roadblock to living an abundant life as promised by Jesus Christ because they never grasped the importance of developing an attitude of gratitude. They are still immature when it comes to giving thanks. They only associate thankfulness with receiving tangibles items. Consequently, workplaces, schools, homes, and local churches are inundated with spirits of discontentment, and murmuring, which results from an ungrateful heart.

Paul admonished Timothy (3:1-4) that people would be ungrateful during the stressful and troublesome (perilous) times. Of course the reason for this behavior, along with other ungodly characteristics, is their denial and rejection of the power available to them through faith in Jesus Christ. Moreover, when someone denies the need for change and the power to change, or rejects the one with power to bring change, there will be no change. This explains how people can attend bible study weekly, hear sermons each Sunday, and not grow spiritually—no change in their character, conduct, or conversations.

There is hope! Like the little children they are spiritually, they must be trained until they learn the art of thanksgiving. Experience is the greatest teacher in life. In order to learn the art of thanksgiving, we must face challenges and circumstances that teach us how to be thankful.

In Paul’s letter to the church at Thessalonica (5:18) he instructs them to thank God in everything, no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus, the Revealer and Mediator of that will. Now, here’s the scoop. The Christians at Thessalonica faced some difficult times of persecution. In addition, the Jewish and Gentile believers had disagreements related to culturally diverse backgrounds. However, they had demonstrated works of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. Overall, they exemplified courageous behavior, and Paul commended them. During Paul’s brief time with them, they quickly comprehended and received his teaching. They became a pattern to all the believers through Paul’s spiritual impartation (I Thessalonians 1:7).

So, when he says, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” that power (ability) had already been imparted into them. What inspiration for us today! We have been empowered to thank God because we have an assurance in His faithfulness. Regardless of the circumstances we believe that God’s will for us is to live for the praise of His glory (Ephesians 1:12). The key to learning the art of being thankful in everything is confidence in the assurance of God’s unconditional love

Personally, it’s something about knowing that God loves me no matter how I mess up, or how many times I mess up. In life, I have observed that out of tragedy comes triumph and purpose. Out of despair hope is restored, and from hurt healing comes. So often, the courses in life are changed when we can look for something (no matter how small) and give thanks to God.

Learning the art of thanksgiving comes through experiences and circumstances that force us to place our confidence in the unconditional love of our heavenly Father, and trust the Sovereignty of our Creator, the eternal God Almighty.

I am convinced that if I had not been taught the valuable lesson of thanksgiving in early childhood, I would be weighed down with a heart of stone engraved with “ungrateful,” which would be evident by my attitude and actions.

Queen