Happy Thanksgiving! Every day should be a special day of thanks to God for all He does, all He promises, and all He is.
Having an Attitude of Gratitude
A guest speaker at my church gave an insightful message about being thankful—just in time for our Thanksgiving Day celebration. He not only listed seven attitudes that can kill our sense of gratitude but offered solutions on how to avoid such. They’re timely and worthy of close consideration.
1) Comparison of people and their possessions can hinder us from being thankful. Remember Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son? After living a riotous life and then repenting, his father forgave him and celebrated his return. The brother, however, took angry offense, telling his dad how good he’d always been yet never had received such honor. His comparison to the wayward brother caused him to be ungrateful for all he had received. One solution to such a response is to reach out to those who have less. Yes and amen to that!
2) Worry is another robber of a grateful heart. Again, Jesus teaches how His Father provides for all creation. His solution? “But seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
3) Perfectionism can also steal our sense of thankfulness. Trying to be the best, the most successful or best looking or … only leads to unhappiness, depression, or worse. God Himself is perfect and accepts us in our imperfections.
4) Expectations. When we expect certain things of others—our children, spouses, friends, bosses, items we own—and our expectations aren’t met, we may find situations unfair. The result can be anger or worse, as was the case for the Jewish clergy during Jesus’ time on earth. They expected a more kingly-acting Messiah, resulting in their anger and His death at their hands.
5) Busyness is my personal least-favorite attitude because it prevents me from expressing my thanks to God through biblical meditation and prayer. Too many days I strive to fulfill my to-do list first, placing Him on the back burner until I “have time” for His presence. Slowing down and simplifying doesn’t come easily, but is the best solution to avoid our busyness.
6) Exhaustion can become a huge deterrent in expressing our gratitude to God. When we’re overtired, the enemy, Satan, attacks with a vengeance causing us to feel self-pity and play the martyrdom game. Jesus, on the other hand, tells us to come to Him so He can give us rest.
7) Entitlement—such feelings are rampant in our society today. How easy it is to think that “I deserve such and such,” and “I have rights.” Jesus told about laborers in a man’s vineyard who worked at different hours of the day yet received the exact same wage. Those who worked the longest hours grew angry because those who worked only one hour were paid the same. Such feelings of entitlement steal our gratitude for what we have received.
Lord, help us to remember these gratitude-killers, replacing them with attitudes of love, joy, and peace. Cause us to be grateful in all things at all moments, not only during this Thanksgiving Day celebration but every day. Help us remember that gratitude will bring us joy and happiness through every situation. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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