Happy Thanksgiving!

 You’ve heard of Christmas in July, but have you heard of Thanksgiving in July? Well, if you haven’t, now you have. It’s sad to think that we need to be reminded to give thanks with a holiday in November; yet, we do. Our human tendency likes to focus on our problems and what we don’t have rather than give thanks for what we do have. One blogger suggested that tendency comes from our ancestors who were in simple survival mode, constantly on the lookout for dangers and their next meal. Whether that is the case or not, we do tend to focus on the negative. There aren’t many news outlets that make money simply sharing good news. They focus on stories to worry or disturb you, which does nothing to foster gratitude.

 Over 100 references to thanksgiving

You’ll find over one hundred references to giving thanks in the Bible. Many references are direct commands to give thanks. God, our Creator, understands the importance of gratitude for thriving so He repeatedly emphasized this virtue in His written word. Consider Colossians 3:15-17,

15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

https://biblehub.com/esv/colossians/3.htm

 Gratitude and Peace

Paul encourages thanksgiving three times in this passage. First, he links gratitude with peace. “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…and be thankful.” A July 20, 2020 online article in Psychology Today notes that the practice of gratitude reduces anxiety in a person’s life. God, of course, knew that well before modern day researchers made the link. It’s not difficult to see this link for a believer in Jesus Christ. The peace of Christ comes from knowing our Savior loves us, died for us, and has forgiven all of our sins. That massive debt of sin, which warranted the death sentence, has been taken off our shoulders because of the death of Christ on the cross. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are fully forgiven and that in itself calls for our gratitude. And as we intentionally give thanks we discover that anxiety in our lives subsides. They perpetuate each other.

Gratitude and Worship

Paul then links gratitude with worship. He connects singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with thankfulness to God. Which comes first? Does thanksgiving lead us into worship or does worship lead us into thanksgiving? My answer—Yes. Here we find another perpetual motion mechanism. When we practice gratitude, we will naturally find ourselves directing that gratitude to God in worship. He has made us, provides us with the very air we breathe, gives us our daily bread, has given us a family, forgiveness, the Holy Spirit, and the list goes on. Thanksgiving moves us into worshiping Him who has given us so much. But the reverse is true as well. As I worship the Almighty in all of His glory and goodness, I find myself giving thanks for all He has done for me. Worship leads to thanksgiving even as thanksgiving leads to worship.

 Gratitude and Lifestyle

Verse 17 is the clincher. Paul essentially instructs us to live a life of perpetual thanksgiving. “…do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Paul reaffirms this point in I Thessalonians 5:17 where he tells the believers to “give thanks in all circumstances.” And in Philippians 4:6 he says, “in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” "Everything, All, Everything." Thanksgiving should not be an occasional practice on certain times of the year but a 24/7 lifestyle. 

So how do we do that?

How to develop a life of gratitude

Before I give a “how-to” list, we must recognize the underlying disposition that fuels gratitude—humility. If I am proud, I’ll think I don’t need to thank anyone, or I may develop an entitlement mentality. I’ll think that I’m so great I deserve this or that. Pride inhibits gratitude like plaque inhibits blood flow. Eventually, it could kill you. When we recognize our need and dependence on Almighty God and our need for other people, we broaden our capacity for gratitude. It begins with humility. There are some practical steps that help develop the skill of gratitude as well.

    1. Look for it.

            Look for opportunities to be thankful. Rather than looking for a reason to complain, look for a reason to give thanks. The reasons exist all around us. If you are reading this, I know at least three reasons you can be thankful: you can see, you are literate, and you understand the world language of business—English. Those are reasons to give thanks. But you might not have been looking for them. Look for opportunities to be thankful.

     2. Write it down.

            Your second step to develop a perpetual spirit of gratitude is writing down what you are thankful for. Maybe you’ve tried journaling and never kept up with it. Then try a different approach. Do bullet points instead of sentences. Keep it short but write it down. Write it down in the notes section of your phone if that’s the first thing you grab in the morning. Try a daily gratitude Facebook post. Connect your gratitude writing with a current habit. Maybe you write down your grocery needs on a list at home. Add a few items you are thankful for. Or maybe you write down a daily “to do” list. Add "Give thanks for __________” to your list. The how is up to you.

     3. Tell someone.

            Say thank you to God first. Nearly every prayer you pray should have some element of thanksgiving. But thank others also. Whether it is the waiter at the restaurant, the teller at the bank, or your spouse at home, thank people daily for the value they add to your life. People all around you are positively impacting you. Let them know how much you appreciate them.

The habit of gratitude pays huge dividends in a person’s life. Robert Emmons, the world’s leading researcher in the area of gratitude, said, “…you literally cannot overplay the hand of gratitude; the grateful mind reaps massive benefits in every domain of life that has been examined so far.” God knew that and so He plastered the call for thanksgiving throughout His written word.

 Thanksgiving in July? Absolutely! (And every other month, week, and day of the year).

 Happy Thanksgiving!