Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Gratitude: Full-Time or Part-Time?
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Gratitude: Full-Time or Part-Time?
As the leaves fall and the air cools, we just feel the
changes that surround us. It is
more evident every day that a new season is approaching and another season is
closing down. As we look at our
calendars and plan our coming weeks, Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around
the corner!
Thanksgiving is an interesting time; we set aside a day and
time to be especially thankful. We
recognize and celebrate God’s blessings in our lives, our families, our
relationships, and in our work and play. Without question it is a good thing for each of us to do as individuals
and as collective groups. Maybe
our class, our church, our youth group, our family, or our school could and
should actively find ways to express and demonstrate gratitude to God.
Saying “thank you” is an important habit, often embedded
into our vocabulary and our conversations at a very early age. All of us know immediately what the
answer is to the question expressed by an adult to a child when they ask, “What
do you say?” We have discovered
even when we are young that a quick thank you, even though it might lack
sincerity, is less painful and more acceptable than to resist or express our
true feelings at the time, which actually might not even be close to
gratitude. Please understand that
I am not encouraging us to forgo good manners and to be impolite or
unresponsive, but I do think we rush past the words without much thought put
into what we are really saying or wanting to say.
I find it ironic that we have become satisfied as a nation,
particularly as Christ-followers, with a day of gratitude as opposed to the
“life of gratitude” outlined in the Scriptures. It seems that we have once again settled for an easier
approach and unfortunately we are passing that onto the next generations.
I don’t believe Christ views gratitude and thankfulness as a
part-time activity. So what should
living a life of gratitude look like? What would be different about us - our work, our relationships, our
families, our friendships, our communities, or our response to God - if we
really believed we should be thankful in all things and at all times.
It seems to me living a life of gratitude should obvious in
our words. Every word out of our
mouth or in our actions, those things we do and the manner in which things are
done should be filled with a more grateful spirit. Our lives should be packed with joy-filled service for
others. We should be more open in
our acknowledgement of God’s care and blessings. Without hesitation we should recognize every time and with
great passion just who it is “from Whom all blessings flow.” Our daily walk should be filled with words
of praise for God and with encouragement for those around us. We should never hesitate in expressing
our appreciation or being a grace-filled person as we interact with
others. Compassion should not be a
decision but a lifestyle; tenderness and kindness are guiding principles that
are not viewed as a sign of weakness but signs of God’s presence in our lives. To be aware of our need to be grateful
is a gift and must shape us every day.
As you can see, living a life of gratitude and thankfulness
is not easy. It is certainly not a
part-time activity nor can a single day or even a season of time be sufficient
to express our gratitude to God. It
is a full-time task that has no beginning or end. There should be no limits on how gratitude should be
demonstrated or to what extent thankfulness must influence how we live each day
of our entire life.
As Thanksgiving Day comes around on the calendar this year
let’s try our very best to not have to make it a day different than any other
day of the year because we are already living every day as great gift from God;
a day we can fill with our gratitude, praise, and thankfulness.
View all episodes
As the leaves fall and the air cools, we just feel the
changes that surround us. It is
more evident every day that a new season is approaching and another season is
closing down. As we look at our
calendars and plan our coming weeks, Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around
the corner!
Thanksgiving is an interesting time; we set aside a day and
time to be especially thankful. We
recognize and celebrate God’s blessings in our lives, our families, our
relationships, and in our work and play. Without question it is a good thing for each of us to do as individuals
and as collective groups. Maybe
our class, our church, our youth group, our family, or our school could and
should actively find ways to express and demonstrate gratitude to God.
Saying “thank you” is an important habit, often embedded
into our vocabulary and our conversations at a very early age. All of us know immediately what the
answer is to the question expressed by an adult to a child when they ask, “What
do you say?” We have discovered
even when we are young that a quick thank you, even though it might lack
sincerity, is less painful and more acceptable than to resist or express our
true feelings at the time, which actually might not even be close to
gratitude. Please understand that
I am not encouraging us to forgo good manners and to be impolite or
unresponsive, but I do think we rush past the words without much thought put
into what we are really saying or wanting to say.
I find it ironic that we have become satisfied as a nation,
particularly as Christ-followers, with a day of gratitude as opposed to the
“life of gratitude” outlined in the Scriptures. It seems that we have once again settled for an easier
approach and unfortunately we are passing that onto the next generations.
I don’t believe Christ views gratitude and thankfulness as a
part-time activity. So what should
living a life of gratitude look like? What would be different about us - our work, our relationships, our
families, our friendships, our communities, or our response to God - if we
really believed we should be thankful in all things and at all times.
It seems to me living a life of gratitude should obvious in
our words. Every word out of our
mouth or in our actions, those things we do and the manner in which things are
done should be filled with a more grateful spirit. Our lives should be packed with joy-filled service for
others. We should be more open in
our acknowledgement of God’s care and blessings. Without hesitation we should recognize every time and with
great passion just who it is “from Whom all blessings flow.” Our daily walk should be filled with words
of praise for God and with encouragement for those around us. We should never hesitate in expressing
our appreciation or being a grace-filled person as we interact with
others. Compassion should not be a
decision but a lifestyle; tenderness and kindness are guiding principles that
are not viewed as a sign of weakness but signs of God’s presence in our lives. To be aware of our need to be grateful
is a gift and must shape us every day.
As you can see, living a life of gratitude and thankfulness
is not easy. It is certainly not a
part-time activity nor can a single day or even a season of time be sufficient
to express our gratitude to God. It
is a full-time task that has no beginning or end. There should be no limits on how gratitude should be
demonstrated or to what extent thankfulness must influence how we live each day
of our entire life.
As Thanksgiving Day comes around on the calendar this year
let’s try our very best to not have to make it a day different than any other
day of the year because we are already living every day as great gift from God;
a day we can fill with our gratitude, praise, and thankfulness.