Gratefulness Opens the Door!
As I pulled out some stickers for my toddler to play with today, I cut off a small section and gave it to him so he wouldn’t use them all at once. He’s very observant, and this was not going to easily slip past him. Immediately, he threw the stickers on the ground and demanded, “I want the stickers!” pointing to the rest of them in my hand. I replied gently, “You have those stickers there. How about you use them?” He then started screaming, crying and throwing things around, demanding the other stickers—not stopping for a moment to acknowledge the fact he hadn’t even used the ones I gave him. Holy Spirit whispered to my heart in that moment, “That’s how you sometimes react when you want something.”
We have so much to be thankful for—yes, even today—regardless of how it has gone for you. How many of us forget that we have been given every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ? How many of us forget that God has placed us in the most prosperous and technologically advanced time in all of history? I know I do.
Especially after this incident with my son, I am more aware of how the Father must feel when we don’t even acknowledge what He has already given us. Ungratefulness creeps into our lives and can be devastating to our intimacy with God. We unknowingly “pray” (or complain) about what we don’t have instead of thanking Him for who He is, what He’s given us, and then focusing our prayers on others.
But I’m not trying to beat us all down for our lack of gratitude. There is good news! We can overcome this by simply taking our eyes off ourselves and our circumstances and fixing them on Jesus. If you can’t think of anything you are thankful, how about you start with the fact that you were going to eternal torment, but because Jesus died on that cross and rose again, you can enter eternal joy and happiness as you receive what He has done for you! That is the best start possible!! And as you reflect on that, you will begin to realign your gaze in the right direction.
“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
In case you haven’t read this properly, thankfulness is the will of God for your life—not complaining. Gratitude isn’t merely a good idea that God makes us perform because He wants us to thank Him; it benefits us also! Philippians 4:6-7 says:
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
As we shift our gaze from our circumstances to what God has done and who He is, through a thankful heart, it’s promised us that His peace will guard our hearts and minds. Thankfulness is a major remedy to the anxiety that tries to creep in and steal the joy of the present. Live in the now. And be thankful right now for what you have today. God will be pleased, and your joy will abound and overflow to other people in a greater way than ever before!
