30 Days of Thanksgiving-Being Thankful Isn’t Always Easy
This month, I’m blogging about Thanksgiving. Not just about the holiday, but about developing a lifestyle of thanksgiving which can radically change your life.
Several years ago, I wrote a bible study called “30 Days of Thanks.” What I determined during my research is that “thanksgiving” boils down to four things:
- Thanksgiving is an act of gratitude
- Thanksgiving is an act of sacrifice
- Thanksgiving is a call to relationship
- Thanksgiving is a call to action
In the last blog, I wrote about gratitude as a lifestyle.
Thanksgiving is also an act of sacrifice. Ouch. Sacrifice? Like… give something up? Like… put someone or something else ahead of my own interests? Like… not always being #1?
Yeah. Like that.
In the Old Testament, “sacrifice” had a literal meaning. It typically meant a physical sacrifice of food or animals. When Christ came on the scene, the meaning of sacrifice began to change. The apostle Paul tells us that sacrifice is no longer mostly about the act. It’s more about the heart because what’s in our heart will determine the way we act. (Funny how that works, huh?)
Thanksgiving is sacrifice because it is not always easy. Sometimes we just don’t feel like being thankful. We can’t see the good in what is happening in our own life, in the lives of our family or friends, or in the world. We see innocent people murdered, lives cut short by disease, and relationships splintered by hurtful actions. We are sad, hurting, angry or confused. We just don’t feel like saying ‘thank you.”
So, why do it? Lots of reasons. First, giving thanks takes the focus off what is troubling us and puts it on something, or someone, positive. It keeps us from being paralyzed by fear, anger, or grief. It keeps us from rash actions that may be driven by our fear, anger or grief. Sacrificial thanks may not change our situation but it may change us. And if we are changed, we may view our situation differently and be more open to finding solutions to problems or challenges.
Hear me on this: giving thanks in difficult times doesn’t mean we ignore what is troubling us. It means we find one good thing or person in the situation and give thanks in the midst of the trouble. It doesn’t mean we ignore the evil in the world- whether it’s our own little world or the world at large. It means we give thanks that we have the heart to recognize the evil and the motivation to change the situation. It doesn’t mean that our heart doesn’t hurt. It means we open our hurting heart to the people or opportunities that can bring healing.
Sometimes, we have to ask God to show us what we can be thankful for. And when he does… and when we are… there’s one last step. We look for sacrificial ways to “do good.” In the book of Hebrews, we are told to “do good and share with others for with such sacrifices, God is pleased.”(Hebrews 13:16 emphasis mine)
In my last blog post, I asked you to take inventory of your life and write down what you are truly thankful for in your life. People, community, church, health, possessions, forgiveness, grace… etc.
Now, I want you to list at least two things that you find it difficult, if not impossible, to be thankful for. Then, I want you to think about those things, meditate on them, then write down one or two ways you can still give thanks. Sacrificial thanks. From your heart.
Don’t feel like giving thanks? For just this one month, do it anyway. Then, do good. See if it makes a difference in you life. I believe it will. And, I’d love to hear from you about it.
Next Blog: Thanksgiving is a call to relationship