Thankfulness
I was trying to think about what to share with you this month and the first thing that came to my mind was "thankfulness." I started to dismiss it since I'm sure I have written about this before, but I felt somewhere inside that it wouldn't hurt to be reminded about it now and again. I tend to go with my instincts, so "thankfulness" it is. The truth is, after love, thankfulness should be one of the attributes we most try and develop. Thankful people are nice people. Think about it. Can you think of one person who is really thankful for all that God has blessed them with and is open in sharing that thankfulness … who isn't nice? I can't. They enjoy life. They have a spark about them that is contagious. They're happy. And aren't those the kind of people we usually what to be around?
So then why aren't we all more thankful? Good question. Part of the reason I think is that we get too wrapped up in our problems. We are more focused on the downside of life, rather than the upside. We see the glass as half empty rather than half full. How would our lives be different if we could change that around? It would be an interesting experiment.
What if, just for the month of May, we look for the blessings in all parts of our lives, look for the silver linings … instead of the opposite? And then express thanks. How would our attitudes be affected and what would that do for our overall demeanor?
What if instead of complaining about our jobs, we tried to find the good things (maybe hidden things) that God might be blessing us with. Maybe it is the people we influence, maybe it is the opportunity to learn something new, maybe it is as simple as having money to pay our rent or make our house payment when so many no longer can. Maybe it is … well, you fill in the blank. And then give thanks to God for whatever it is that you have discovered.
The same works for our relationships. How different would our relationships be with our family, spouse, or kids if we looked for ways to be thankful for them and then expressed that thankfulness to God and to them?
If we just started trying to find ways to be thankful, I promise you our lives would be different. We would start seeing new things that we never saw before. We would start feeling feelings that we might have felt were lost or buried - good feelings.
I am thankful for my wife, my kids, my church, my faith, my extended family, my health, my ability to laugh and occasionally make others laugh, the staff I have to work with, the sunshine and the rain, vacations, my relationship with God, and all of you who support me with your prayers. I am thankful to live in a country where I can speak up for what I believe without fear, that I can worship how I choose, that I have choices. I am thankful for diversity, for honesty, for constructive criticism, for forgiveness and the opportunity to forgive. I am thankful for love expressed and received.
That's a lot to be thankful for. But it is a conscious choice. I wish I could say that I was ALWAYS thankful for all of those things, but I'm not. Some of those things I am thankful for, I have also, on occasion, viewed as a millstone around my neck or an opportunity lost. But when I choose to see those things/people as reasons to be thankful, my attitude changes, my relationship with those things/people changes. And I am a better and happier person.
I really believe that to be true and I am going to try to prove that this month. I hope you will join me. It is available to each and every one of us. It is up to us to choose. It is my prayer that you will choose to be thankful. Try it out this month and let me know how it works.
Be blessed, my friends and I'll see you on Sunday!
Pastor Tom |
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