Week 5 - Thankful
This week in summary| Day 1 : Thankful | Psalms 113-114 |
| Day 2 : The Thankful Community | Psalms 115-116 |
| Day 3 : Reclaiming Gratitude | Psalms 117 |
| Day 4 : Prepare | Psalms 118 |
| Day 5 : Thankful for Provisions | Psalms 136 |
| Day 1 : Thankful | Psalms 113-114 |
| Day 2 : The Thankful Community | Psalms 115-116 |
| Day 3 : Reclaiming Gratitude | Psalms 117 |
| Day 4 : Prepare | Psalms 118 |
| Day 5 : Thankful for Provisions | Psalms 136 |
What the bible tells us about being thankful is a constant reminder that this attitude of being thankful is not as innate as we would like to believe. We would like to operate under the notion that being thankful just makes sense. But were we to be completely honest, we all could say that the way of the thankful life is far from second nature.
Sure, when blessings come, a thankful heart is usually easy to find. But when trials overwhelm, the heart often tucks its tail and hides until the storm passes. That's when we realize that being thankful and showing gratitude are not passive, but active. Showing gratitude in community is equally as active.
In strictest definitions and in most of our minds, there are two ways to look at being Thankful - The first is simply: being relieved - relieved that what you feared might happen did not come to pass. A way of celebrating good fortune and being glad that what might have turned into a trial was (thankfully) averted.
The second way to look at being thankful is gratitude - being grateful for something done for you or on your behalf. Thankfulness is truly being grateful that someone stepped in and provided a change in your situation that would have been impossible on your own.
I would challenge you that there is actually a third way to look at being thankful, and possibly this one seems the most un-natural of all, but is probably the most prevalent version of being thankful in the bible - that is: Being thankful that God is who He is. Throughout the Psalms it is said to "give thanks to the Lord, for He is good..." No other reason just that He is good. I'm not sure about you, but that usually falls off of my radar. I think this is also the brand of thankfulness that best explains the ability to "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances" 1 Thesselonians. 5:17-18)
So why should I be thankful? Should I be thankful for trials? In a word - yes. But maybe not the way you might think. Take a moment to reflect on trials that you have encountered even the ones that you could have prevented. Maybe some red-flags that in hind-sight would have made you make different choices. It may take a long period of time, but the journey and the lessons learned often outweigh the pain through the process. And even if it doesn't outweigh the pain, in my experience, I wouldn't trade some of the trials for the growth they have brought with them. The lesson of being able to show
A thankful community is one that's laughter and joy ring out echoing from the heart like the gratitude of an adopted child. Not only thankful for the unsure future that has been altered, but for the knowledge that we are chosen by the one who breathed life into us. I John 3 begins- telling of God's love in this way: "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are." We were invited back into a kingdom we don't deserve as servants and friends - but also children of the King Himself! How can that now bring us before Him with gratitude and love. He ends the chapter with an encouragement to "...Let us not love in word or talk, but indeed and in truth." 1 John 3:18 It's more than just lip-service and a few obligatory "Thank You's." It has to pour out of us physically.
But if we aren't to be giving out obligatory gratitude, then what do we really show our gratitude for? This is where your own personal faith story (testimony) comes into play. You see - not everyone has a dramatic faith story that brings everyone to tears and sends sinners running to the altar because "God saved him, surely He can save me!" Don't misunderstand, powerful testimonies are a testament to how big God's grace is and just how far-sighted the father of the prodigal son is. But it gives us the opportunity to be grateful for our own journey and how God has led us in our own faith story - and maybe how far down we had to come to be willing to look up for His hand of mercy. What should we be grateful for? The straight paths - the times when life goes according to (our) plan; the bumpy, uphill, storm laden, parched land, "zero rest-stops for hundreds of miles" type of stretches. Not only do they produce steadfastness or perseverance but they also can help make some of the other things around us make more sense. Maybe it helps us stop asking the question "Why me?" and make us answer the question "why not me?"
Is this an easy task? - Well, to put it bluntly - Heck no! But we were never promised an easy road. On the contrary, when we decided to follow Jesus, we took up a cross, and this cross is still too great a burden to bear alone. This is where community shows its true colors. Can it hold up this cross and help all those around them carry theirs as well?
If we would live a life that was constantly showing Love in "deed and in truth" , then our community would look a little different wouldn't it? The world puts thankfulness in the category of "good manners." But God puts Thankfulness in the category of true gratitude. And this is done throughout the bible, not so much by God himself, as through His children. How many times can you go through the book of Psalms, or in the New Testament where people are thanking God for who He is and what His hands have made, or who He has protected, or who He has put into the lives of others. It's not simply good manners in the God's realm, but it is a true virtue of those who know Him and believe on Him.
But how does this relate to my interactions with others? I'm glad you asked - it changes how we look and treat others because we (as strangers and aliens) were treated with the love and compassion of a parent. Let that sink in for a moment. We (complete and perfect strangers) were invited into a relationship (familial - permanent - unconditional love) with someone who had something to offer that we could never get on our own. It's like the story of the orphan Annie. Even though she was provided the most lavish life, she couldn't enjoy it without reaching out to her friends who had shared in the poverty she knew before the Warbuck's mansion, could she?
This is more than the "pay it forward" mentality that we like to use to justify our sometimes short-sighted attempts at gratitude. We have momentary glimpses of being grateful for what we have or what we don't have to deal with - and these things manifest themselves in the occasional donation to a person in need, or the brief hugs and handshakes for those hurting in ways we can't imagine. But if we took this grateful heart down to its roots, it should give us the desire to show our gratitude to those who need to be lifted up - people who need to know that God is near. Through being grateful for one another - we give thanks to them and for them at the same time. But it also means that we can't just say the words and walk on. We have to engage in order to prove our gratitude - and not just so that our words are believed, but so that our love is strengthened and our bond is proven - in both smooth straight roads, and in winding, scary ones.
With your team goals set and growth planned:
What resources does the team have available to make this happen? Think creatively about how you can use what you have to work towards your goal.
What has God supplied you?