Ask, Am I A Thankful Person?

The first level is the “say-thank-you-to-be-polite,” elementary school level of thankfulness. "You helped me and I said thank you. My obligation has been met; I recognize your involvement." Yes, you’ve done your duty…but not much more. Level one thankfulness is a cultural norm in most areas. It requires no depth, just a little character. Our basic thankfulness to a creator and Savior requires no depth. Praising Him for everything He is and everything that He has done continually is the least we can do to show our thankfulness.

"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name." Hebrews 13:15

The second level can be likened to the college level of thankfulness. It is being thankful “in” every situation. It is self-control and patience in the midst of daily routine and great tribulation, resting in the sovereignty of God. Thankful in the middle of traffic. Thankful while waiting for cancer treatment. Thankful, packing up your office after getting fired. It may see crazy, but even in some of the worst moments we are called to have a thankful heart.

Graduate school thankfulness, however, is the highest level of thankfulness and should be the goal of every believer. It is not just being thankful “in” all things but being thankful “for” them There is a big difference, by the way. Are you thankful for your recent bad news? Are you thankful for your latest trial?

"Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is...Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;" Ephesians 5:17,20

Why do we so often make the choice to ignore our many blessings?

Why do we naturally default to complaining?

Why are we so quick to minimize the blessings and magnify the negative?

I think the simple answer is that our lives are too short to have the proper perspective. Picture a father and son in a hedge maze.

The son feels hopeless and lost because from his perspective there is no exit no end. The father however is not limited like his son. He can see the begin and the end of the maze at the same time. His height give him a different perspective.

God is the alpha and omega, the beginning and the end. He can see chain results through time and space that we can't even imagine. When there appears to be no reason to give thanks. Remember the one who can see it ALL told us to give thanks in the here and now. Trust His view when you can't see the end.

The best example I can think of is Joseph.

He had a spirit of thankfulness and service his whole life. At the end of his story, Joseph also expressed thankfulness FOR God's providence in what his brothers did, Potiphar's wife did, and his placement in the prison. He told his brothers they meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.

I would never claim Joseph was thankful FOR his brothers selling him, but rather thankful FOR God moving him down to Egypt. I can't imagine Joseph was thankful for being sold to Potiphar, but maybe in the end he was thankful for time learning how to manage an Egyptian household and understand Egyptian culture?

We are never called to be thankful for sin. God can and does use ALL things together for good. It doesn't mean that all things ARE good. Focusing on God and thanking HIM doesn't make the maze smaller or less difficult.

Follow Christ through the maze with thanksgiving that HE knew your beginning and end before the maze was ever built. Trust Him and thank Him for the providence you can't see.

Why don’t you determine to earn your master's degree in thankfulness today?