Thanksgiving is just days away. There seems to be an annual emphasis in this old world of being thankful, and then committing to stay thankful. We say things like, "Make gratitude your attitude."
But why?
In our worship gatherings just yesterday we had a husband and wife take turns reading scripture. They chose to share a brief word about being thankful in the midst of this, the hardest year most of us have faced in our lifetime. Between racial strife and a global pandemic that keeps coming in waves, it has been easier to lament than to be thankful.
But seldom is the way of the cross easy.
Yet gratitude is. The way of the cross, that is.
Jesus gave thanks, even at the Last Supper. Knowing the suffering was coming, He gave thanks.
And so in our suffering, we do too.
But why? Doesn't the cynic inside of you wonder?
The longer I live, read, study, listen, and watch, the more I am convinced of this: thankfulness is a powerful repellent. Like "Off!" insect repellent but for things like entitlement, jealousy, sadness, even struggling marriages and wayward children.
As Erwin McManus wrote, "Gratitude is the healing ointment for brokenness. It is central to the entire experience and journey of the Christian faith. Gratitude and grace share the same root meaning. When we properly connect to God, our lives become and endless expression of thanks and praise."
I'm so glad he linked "thanks and praise." Because I'm also convinced that thankfulness is a primary motivation for worship.
Consider the number of times "Give thanks" appears in the Psalter, the hymnal of Jesus.
And so let's give thanksgiving it's proper place in our private and gathered (in-person or virtual) worship this week. And the next. And every week. We may just see a gradual fading of the emotional enemies our culture faces like fear, worry, anxiety and depression. We may also see more--much more--of the joy of Jesus.
"Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Don't stifle the Spirit." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19