When we are thankful, we are prone to itemize material things. We are glad that circumstances work out to our own well-being. Having a grateful heart is not just something that we produce every November. Being glad for God’s blessings can sometimes be a reflection on ourselves, to elevate our own efforts, our own investment in society. Unfortunately, our idea of being thankful is for what we define.
What about the hardships, the deep valley, the sticky marsh, the attacks from unknown assailants? Some of our greatest accomplishments spiritually grow out of the most difficult times in our life. When we are on target with God, what is the result of being thankful to him for material blessings, for unique experiences, poor spiritual calm.
When we are thankful to God, we are expressing a declaration of dependence on him. We recognize the provisions he makes. We appreciate the forgiveness that comes to us through Jesus Christ. As thankful people, we develop a new kind of divine inspired completeness.
When we are thankful, truly thankful, we are expressing an affirmation of our faith in God. An original example of this in early Christianity is when they faced persecution. To identify oneself as a believer to another believer, they would say the Greek word icthus which is a synonym for Jesus Christ the son of God, Savior. Being a thankful people grows out of faith for this world and the other worlds to come. That kind of faith is what changes our earthly world.
When we are a thankful people and express that in the most sincere fashion, it is a type of our pledging of allegiance to God in the same way, but better, when we express our allegiance to the American flag. We are saying, “God and I are together, on the same page, walking side-by-side, because of who he is.” To offer an allegiance to God is to express our part in the eternal relationship we have with him. We are saying that he is the highest interest to us, God is the one who made all the effort that he accomplished in our behalf.
When we are thankful, we are declaring, expressing a hope we have in God. He is the only one that can give us hope. He is the only one that will not disappoint us. We are pleased for the decision we made in aligning our spirits to his. The hope we have with Christ reminds ourselves the whatever is happening, especially whatever is negative, will not always be like this. God always makes things better. He is our investment in the future. He is the basis of reality in the presence.
When we concentrate our thinking on the reasons to be thankful, the Holy Spirit offers a new and special kind of peace. That peace is not based on circumstances or people. It comes from the grounding that we have, on which we stand. The privilege that he has afforded us that we can be part of his family, is reason to be thankful with all of its blessings, hope, and promises.
Christian Writer 