Many people find their emotions at holiday times to be the opposite of what the majority are celebrating.
For example, if your mother recently passed away, Mother’s Day could bring more sadness than joy. If you are poor and homeless at Christmas time, you might feel guilt and anxiety rather than joy because you cannot provide meaningful gifts for your children. And similarly for other holiday celebrations.
However, there is one holiday everyone can celebrate — and if they don’t celebrate in your culture, you should invent or inaugurate it — and that is Thanksgiving, a day set aside to remember and be grateful for the abundance we have!
Most dictionaries will list gratitude and thankfulness as direct synonyms — that is, they can be used interchangably without changing or losing meaning.
There are many definitions of gratitude.
Thankfulness is variously defined as an emotion, as a personality trait, or both. Many experts frame gratitude as a practice—an action we take as an expression of loving kindness. Others frame it as recognizing and mindfully appreciating the gifts given to us in our lives.
While the concept of gratitude may seem like a hip new trend in the self-help world, the concept of thankfulness has been embedded in many spiritual and religious practices for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
Within Judaism, gratitude touches every aspect of worship and life, which are written about in many Hebrew scriptures. As an example:
“Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High”. Psalm 50:14 NLT
Within the Quran, the Islamic faith centers gratitude as a foundational guiding principle. The Quran also guides followers to practice gratitude and give thanks to God, and teaches that followers who practice gratitude more regularly will be rewarded with more.
Gratitude is also a main theme within Buddhist teachings. Buddhism posits that one shouldn’t seek gratitude just to be rewarded with good fortune, but rather that gratitude is to be practiced in everyday life, which itself becomes a gift. Without practicing gratitude, we run the risk of our thoughts and behaviors slipping into mindless greed. Gratitude offers us a way into being thankful for simply being alive, for existing, and all of the gifts that come with being alive and being present.
Within the Christian faith, gratitude is also very central—God is correctly perceived as the ultimate benevolent giver of life and all creation, and worshippers practice giving thanks to God.
“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT
“Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness”. Colossians 2:7
We should be thankful in both good and bad circumstances, as God’s hand is always with us. Being thankful in all situations allows us to recognize and appreciate God’s gifts.
In difficult times we can be thankful for the learning experiences God provides, even during particularly challenging circumstances, and we can trust in His greater plan. It’s not that we are grateful for the difficulties, but that we are grateful in the midst of the difficulties.
Paradoxically it can be difficult to be thankful and grateful in prosperous times, when everything is going well. In the midst of well-being it is easy to take positive circumstances for granted and not acknowledge the source of blessings.
The way out of the trap of mindlessness is to actively practice gratitude by making it a habit to notice and appreciate the gifts and blessings in our lives, and express gratitude to God for them.
Paul’s instruction to the Church at Colossae above, says that by doing so we will become more rooted and established in Christ, our faith will be strengthened and our thankfulness enhanced.
Especially during holiday seasons, we have the opportunity to reflect on everything God has placed in our lives. Believing in God’s goodness toward us allows us to be thankful when things go well, and patient when things go against us. We need to remember that it is God’s will for us to be thankful “in all circumstances.” We should be grateful that God’s hand holds us, and helps us to endure under the strain, even when things seem to go against us. It can be difficult to remember to be thankful when things are going well, but we should still be grateful for the deluge of God’s good gifts and His blessings to us every day.
Try sitting still and notice what you see, what you have, and who is with you. Make a list of the gifts you notice and give thanks to God, the great giver!
“Every time I think of you, I give thanks to my God”. Philippians 1:3 NLT
Blessings on you and yours, Jim Black
P.S. if you’d like to read previous ruminations of mine they can be found at https://www.salvationarmyconcordca.org/chronicle/?category=Bible%20Study