"What Does It Take For You To Be Thankful?"

July 01, 2024 | By Chuck

  We all have so much to be thankful for. I am thankful for God’s saving grace. I am thankful for my wife and our kids. I am thankful for my health and my job. I am thankful for our home. I could go on and on, but you get it. I am thankful for all the things you are thankful for.

            There is a question that plagues me about this whole being thankful thing. What does it take for you and me to be thankful? That question when seriously considered hits hard and right in the heart. It challenges us because it requires personal self-reflection about what matters most. I am thankful for all the blessings I mentioned earlier, but would I be thankful with less? Will we be thankful without some of our greatest blessings? What must I have to be thankful?

            I love and am challenged by the following words of Paul. “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.” (Philippians 4:4) Maybe these words are not too impressive to you. Don’t all Christians rejoice in the Lord? I think what makes Paul’s words so powerful and meaningful is understanding where they are coming from. Paul is in prison as he encourages his free brothers and sisters at Philippi to rejoice in the Lord. Paul’s spirit was that of thankfulness no matter his life circumstances. That encourages and challenges me.

What does it take for me to be thankful? I want to be like Paul and be thankful and rejoice in the Lord even if the Lord is all I have in life. I want to be thankful no matter what my life circumstances are. That’s not easy, and I’m not sure I can achieve that with any regularity. I will keep challenging myself with that question and continue to be challenged by Paul’s constant attitude of thankfulness. I encourage you to do the same. “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (I Thessalonians 5:16-18)