Some of my earliest memories are from church, singing songs and choruses. One of those choruses comes to mind as I write this Thanksgiving letter. It may seem twee, but wisdom often hides in simplicity.
Count your blessings, name them one-by-one.
Count your blessings see what God has done.
Count your blessings, name them one-by-one.
Count your many blessings, see what God has done.
You probably couldn’t resist the urge to sing it, if you know the song. And now it will be on repeat in your head for the rest of the day. You can begin with thanksgiving that you didn’t have to endure me singing it.
Thanksgiving is not just a day. Being thankful is the motivation of the Christian life.
There are, however, many competing motivations seeking to displace our thankfulness. Entitlement, apathy and pessimism are but a few.
Entitlement inoculates against thanksgiving. If your sentences and thoughts include the words “should have”, you will not be thankful. Lives lived out of a sense of entitlement will never be happy lives because even the blessings received are only satisfying minimum requirements. Entitlement, at its core, is really just a manifestation of self-sufficiency. As long as you see yourself as a self-made man or woman, you will never be thankful.
Apathy will never lead to thanksgiving. Numbness and a ‘whatever’ attitude rob us of the joy of thanksgiving. Apathy sucks the meaning out of simple joys. Don’t miss the profound beauty in the simple pleasures of life, like a timely word from a friend or the moment when your child reaches out to hold your hand.
Our thoughts and energies are wasted bracing for an inevitably bad outcome. But the opposite of pessimism isn’t optimism. For the Christian, the opposite of pessimism is hope and faith. Optimism is cheap and thin. The writer to the Hebrews calls Christian hope and faith an “anchor for the soul” (Hebrews 6:19). Hope and faith in a good and strong God rescues us from the peril of pessimism and leads us to thanksgiving.
What other motivations seek to rob us of the joy of thanksgiving. They all compete for your heart.
A thankful heart must be cultivated and nurtured. It doesn’t happen by accident, nor do you become thankful by simply deciding to be thankful. That will not last. True thankfulness is formed when you take stock of your life and take stock of your God.
What if James was right when he said that, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:17) Imagine how that perspective would change your life.
I am certain that was what Paul had in mind when he asked, “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Romans 2:4) God has inclined his unmerited goodness toward you and me. Every breath, every heartbeat, your family, your friends, gainful employment, rest and recreation; these are all good gifts from our good God. They do not serve the primary purpose of our comfort. Rather they display the character of our God. He is good to us. In return we acknowledge his goodness and care, reorient our lives; turning from entitlement, apathy and pessimism to lives shaped by thanksgiving and gratitude.
Ultimately God’s goodness is extended to us in the person of Jesus. You knew I was going to say that, but it had to be said. Other good things come and go. Some day our hearts will stop and our breath will cease. At times family and friends let us down. Yet, God’s goodness is unwavering because the gospel tells us, “God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16). God’s goodness means that you and I will never perish but have eternal life.
When you take time to ponder that, you will say with Paul, “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15).
Take a moment, right now, to count your blessings. It may seem trite, but actually name them, one-by-one. Notice how your heart shifts from entitlement, apathy and pessimism to thankful.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Ray David Glenn
