CLAY CENTER — Our second oldest great-granddaughter asked grandma for a banana, then after she received it and began to walk off, I questioned her, “Now Avi, what do you say?” Quickly she responded, “Thank you, grandma!”
Avi is 4 years old. These early years are the times to teach little one’s thankfulness. A National and Religion Spiritual Survey reported how about 60% of Americans experience thankfulness at least once a day. I am sure Avi was among that number when she received her banana.
It is easy to be thankful when things are going well. Right? When we have good health, plenty of money, a strong marriage and family, when business is booming, when everything is sailing along in the right direction. That is when our gratitude meter is off the charts.
But the evidence of a thankful heart is really shown when it is tested.
The Bible speaks of a man who experienced this. “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.” (Job 1:1) In one day, due to natural disasters and a heartless rogue of bandits, all his children were killed, his entire business destroyed and his personal health ruined by an incurable disease. All he had left was his wife and his own weakened life. Yet, what were some of the first words he was able to say in response? “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21) As things became worse, it took a toll on his wife. She challenged her husband, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die.” But he said to her, “You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:9-10)
It is easy to be thankful when we get our banana, but what if the banana is unjustly snatched from our hands and smashed in front of us, just to make us angry. Then what? That becomes the real test of a thankful heart.
In the face of tremendous tragedy, Job was able to maintain a grateful spirit. That does not mean he was without pain, heartache or deep discouragement. Rather, in the middle of it all, he was able to keep his mind’s eye fixed on God and give Him praise.
Not all of us will go through such horrible tragedies, but we will have bad days at work, the pressure of ever-growing bills, conflict in our marriage or frustration over something. And in those moments, instead of showing gratitude, we blast out anger, impatience or bitterness.
All of us have done this. No one is perfect.
The Bible says about God, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” (Psalm 100:4-5) God calls us to approach Him with thanks, even on bad days. When we do, we will end up treating others the same. Being grateful toward others, even our enemies, is how we love our neighbor, which is one of the Great Commandments of God.
But how? It is hard. We live in an entitled society that is filled with narcissists and arrogant people. We may even be one of those. First, we start with an acknowledgement. “God, I apologize for acting like a spoiled brat sometimes and not being very grateful toward you or others.” Second, we ask for help, “Lord, I do not have the power to live a grateful life on my own. You will have to help me to live according to your ways.” Third, place your trust in Jesus, “God, I believe in what your Son did on the cross. I trust not in myself, but in Him to transform me.”
A prayer for you — Father in heaven, we acknowledge our harshness toward others, especially our family. We are sorry for taking advantage of people and not being more thankful toward them. Change us O God into a grateful people. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Clint Decker is president of Great Awakenings. Share comments at cdecker@greatawakenings.org and follow his blog at clintdecker.blogspot.com.
