If you were to walk into the Asmus apartment, the first thing you’d see is a sign that my wife painted hanging on our front wall. The sign reads just one word, Eucharisteo. My wife didn’t paint a sign with a Greek verb on it because we’re hipsters who are into homemade, rustic, organic, non-GMO, self-expressive, post-modern home décor. She did it because we needed a mantra to live our lives by. Eucharisteo means “I give thanks.”
Thankfulness doesn’t come naturally to many of us because we are rarely satisfied. When things are bad, we whine until it turns around. When things are good, we set our sights on the next level of good and ache until we achieve it. We struggle to rest in a posture of thankfulness because we all have some sense of entitlement. We think we’re owed something, and consequently, we’re never content with what’s been given. We only concentrate on what we don’t have.
Lindsay and I needed to be reminded to give thanks continually because this is our problem too. We literally need a sign to read when we start our day to spur in us a heart of thankfulness. If you struggle with giving thanks, let this Thanksgiving be the catalyst for a new way of living. Here are four strategies I’ve found helpful in cultivating a life of thankfulness.
1. Ponder the Past
The most decisive redemptive moment in the Old Testament is the Exodus—when God delivered the Israelites from slavery under Egypt. Because of the incredible nature of their deliverance, it’s extremely hard to understand why the Israelites responded the way they did immediately upon exiting Egypt. They complained (Ex 17)! They wanted to go back because things weren’t going their way. God’s response was simple, “Remember what I did!” They weren’t thankful because they didn’t ponder God’s work in their past.
When you begin to feel entitled or start complaining, remember what God has done in your past. He has delivered you from the domain of darkness and made you His child (Col 1:13). He has been at work in your life since the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4). And he isn’t done with you yet (Phil 1:6)! There is little in your life that can thwart thankfulness when you remember all that God has done.
2. Have God-sized Gratitude
Gratitude is a river that flows out of God’s character. How do you become more grateful? Meditate on who God is. He is Father, Son, and Spirit. He is Savior and Shepherd and Friend. He’s righteousness, love, truth, faithful, healer, good, present, and holy. God is gracious. What other names can you add to the list?
3. Rejoice Regularly
In his letter to the Philippian church Paul wrote, “Rejoice always, I’ll say it again, rejoice.” For all you grammar snobs, he uses an imperative verb. Paul is commanding rejoicing. The best way to rejoice regularly is in community. In the GROUP Lindsay and I lead we start every gathering with the same question: “What can you praise God for in your life last week?” We do this for one reason: if we don’t train ourselves to see things worth rejoicing in, then we’ll never actually rejoice. Find someone in your life—a spouse, friend, co-worker—who you can rejoice with. Once you start looking for God’s grace in your life, you’ll see it everywhere.
4. Focus on the Future
I once heard a preacher say, “This world is the best thing an unbeliever will ever experience; but for the believer, it’s the worst.” Our future is heaven. Our end-zone is glory. Our forever is with God. I know we all know this, but do you really focus on it? YOU’RE GOING TO BE WITH CHRIST. There is nothing in this life, good or bad, that can compare with such truth. You want to be thankful? Focus on your future.
Thanksgiving is a celebration meant for family, friends, and if you’re a true American, football. But don’t let the day pass only thinking about turkey, pie, and touchdowns. Make it a day of gratefulness for who God is and what’s He’s done, doing, and will do in your life. Let this be a season where you find new strategies to cultivate thankfulness.
