Thankfulness

Our God is an amazing God! In this Worship Changes Our Perspective Blog Series, I’ve only touched on a few of His attributes. As we’ve seen, God is sovereign, love, wise, good, just, and faithful. Yet, He’s also infinite, all-powerful, ever-present, all-knowing, holy, truth, merciful, gracious, never changing, and the list of His attributes goes on. As we worship God in these and other ways, our thoughts about God and life change. The result – actions that reflect more of God’s perspective.

So, the big question now is how do we grow in our worship of God so that our life and leadership will increasingly reflect His character?

Our knowledge of God influences the extent to which we can worship Him as He really is and order our life accordingly. How do we grow in our knowledge of God? Even though we do see evidence of God’s character in His creation, we learn about Him primarily from His Word, the Bible. How do we get to know someone better? By spending time with that person. In the same way, as we truly listen to God as He speaks through His Word, not just reading the words on a page but really hearing the voice of God as He reveals Himself and His desires for us, we’ll be able to worship God more completely and this will impact the way we think and live.

My six-year-old has a gratitude journal. I’d like to say I came up with the idea, but all the credit goes to his Grade 1 teacher. Writing in a gratitude journal is a regular part of my son’s school schedule. He doesn’t attend a private school; his teacher simply understands the power of giving thanks.

I don’t use the word “power” loosely. A life motivated by acts of gratitude looks decisively different than a life devoid of thanks. Consider these survey findings from a group of psychologists: 

• 90% of people surveyed found that expressing gratitude made them more joyful
• 84% said it reduced stress and depression and increased optimism
• 78% said it gave them more energy*

These results are cited in a book called 10 Mindful Minutes that inspired my son’s teacher to make gratitude journaling a regular part of her curriculum (children require teaching to cultivate gratitude since most aren’t naturally thankful). This book is just one title from a growing segment of writers who proclaim the merits of saying “thank-you” (Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts is an excellent guide on how to embrace everyday blessings).

Many of us choose to make goals or resolutions throughout the year. These are steps we take to assess what’s wrong with our lives and to search for solutions that will hopefully increase our happiness. Resolutions are attempts to “re-solve” a matter with a new sense of commitment. Resolutions are honourable and effective when structured in the right way (here's a resource on how to develop a personal growth plan), but I’m not convinced that many goals will measure up to the value of giving thanks. A life that reflects daily gratitude is a life that is filled with joy, patience, and generosity.

This amazing story from my friend Jackie demonstrates a thankful spirit even when life gets tough:

I was in a serious car accident the day of our 15th wedding anniversary.  To make a long story short, someone carelessly bombed out of a driveway across two lanes of traffic, trying to make a left turn around a transport parked next to the curb, and "forgot" there might be someone on the other side of that truck that he couldn't see.  

He hit me on the passenger side of my car - thankfully I was alone! - and shoved me across the yellow line into oncoming traffic...and my little Neon went into, and under, the front of another tractor trailer.  

When my car stopped, which was a miracle in itself at 55 km/hr, what was left of the front end of my car was pushed up to my knees. The grill of the truck, which broke my windshield and bathed me in glass, was close enough for me to see my reflection.

Why am I telling you this, you may ask?  Not to invite you to a funeral, or to be melodramatic...but because I felt compelled to share what God did for me in that moment that everyone dreads, when your life hangs in the balance (and I had time to see the transport coming and think, "Uh, oh, is it my time, God?").  

We want everyone to know what God is capable of, in one of those rare times that you get to see it firsthand.  By the grace of God, I walked away from my car (after they got me out) and rode with my husband to the hospital. That night, I came home to my own bed with no heart problems, no fractures and only a few, tiny glass cuts.

So this Thanksgiving is an opportunity for us to celebrate God's sovereignty, protection and grace once again.  We know that He could have chosen for it to end differently, and that still wouldn't have changed the truth of His love or provision for us...

How can we be thankful, like Jackie, even when life goes sideways?

One way is to believe that God is God. He is sovereign (Psa. 93). That doesn’t mean that bad things won’t happen to us. However, we can trust that God’s ultimate purposes will prevail.