Redefining Thankfulness - Ben

As parents, one of the fundamentals we try to instill in our kids is thankfulness. 

For instance, today is Oct. 31^st. Should the rain hold off, my wife and I will be traipsing around the neighborhood tonight as our kids are trick-or-treating. And while they’ll be focused on getting as much candy as they can, Emory and I will be focused on two critical things: first, we must hit up 1410 Summer Lane since they’ve been known to hand out full-sized candy bars, and, second, etiquette. Even if 1410 Summer Lane does the unthinkable and decides to give out something awful like black licorice, we’ll still encourage Rowan and Piper to be thankful. 

Kids, after all, need to be constantly reminded of such things. They come into this world thinking the entire planet revolves around them. It takes some solid parenting to teach them that few things are given freely in this life, and should they be given something freely, it's probably best to say "thank you." Admittedly, some adults need to be reminded of that too. But, by and large, most have this basic function of civility down.

Now, what’s remarkable, is that the Bible speaks about thankfulness in a curious way. 

Philippians 4:6

“do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”  

1 Thessalonians 5:18

“give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Notice, in his letter to Philippi and Thessalonica, Paul said to be thankful “in” everything and “in all circumstances.” 

Being thankful when we get candy makes perfect sense. Saying “thank you” when someone holds a door open for you is the sort of thing that separates the intelligent from the moronic me-monsters. Making sure that you express your gratitude to the waitress after she takes your order is not only the right thing to do, but it just might keep her from spitting in your food. Common decency is the bedrock of a healthy society.  Yet, the Bible elevates even something as universal as thankfulness into something transcendent.  God's word teaches us to not only be thankful for the good things we get in this life but we are to be thankful in every scenario of this life. 

Now, this does not mean we should be thankful for everything; it means, just as Paul said, to be thankful in everything. My mom passed away some years ago. The thought of being thankful for my own mother's death is absolutely appalling. However, while I should not be thankful for the loss I feel in my heart, I can be grateful for the time I had with my mother growing up. This is what it means to be thankful “in every circumstance” but not for everything. 

We live in a broken world that is trying to break us. On my more cynical days, I have to say, I find little to be thankful for. But those are precisely the moments when I should be most grateful. No. Not that I should be thankful for the rampant sinfulness I see around me. Instead, when I'm surrounded by a barren wasteland of faithlessness, I can be thankful in my present circumstance, because I know God is with me. Though the world seems so very dark, God’s light shines through that darkness and shows me who I am in Him. That even in the most miserable scenario, I can, at the very least, whisper prayers of thanksgiving for the breath in my lungs, the light in my eyes, and the Holy Spirit in my heart. 

Propriety demands that we be polite, offering a simple "thank you" for even the smallest act of kindness. But basic Christianity shows us that we have so much to be thankful for even if we find ourselves in a genuinely thankless situation. 

Be thankful for everything? No. That's nonsense. But be grateful in everything? Yes. That, scripturally speaking, is just common sense.