I rediscover meaningful thankfulness

There are plenty of articles and books with titles like "7 Scientifically Proven Benefits of Gratitude That Will Motivate You to Give Thanks Year-Round" (an article in Forbes Magazine by Amy Morin). An "attitude of gratitude" is a cliché that many of us have heard so often it feels worn out. But it makes sense. It's great to feel thankful. Who wants to be the person who continues to insist that they deserve everything they have or achieve? Well, let me rephrase that: We all know people who have that attitude, but it's far from being an attractive attitude or state of mind, and most of us prefer to be different than that. 

When you think about it more closely, though, thankfulness is much more than an attitude. It really reflects a pattern of behavior or a specific act. You thank someone. "Thank" is a transitive verb, which means that it has to have an object (someone to thank). We can thank my neighbor for watching my dog while I'm gone, my teachers for helping shape me into what I have become, and our friends for joining us on the journey. We should do that and should do it much more often. 

Needless to say, Christians agree with the need to thank people around us as much as we can (and probably more than we actually do). But there are two differences: Christians always have someone to thank, even if another human being was not the source of our gratitude. That someone is God. And if a person was involved, Christians can thank that person and feel gratitude that God has made it possible to have that person be part of our lives.

Here's the main distinction for me: When I walk out into a fresh, green spring morning or a warm, multi-colored fall afternoon, I am filled with gladness and thankfulness, and it's a huge difference for me that I am able to direct that thankfulness to the one who created that beauty—God—rather than having those same feelings and offering thanks to no one in particular. There is a difference when I meet a person with whom I know a new friendship is developing and praising my good fortune vs. thanking God who has always known this would come about and arranged for it to happen. Someone who doesn't believe in God sees the fortunate coincidence that no one got hurt badly in the car accident, while I can direct my attention to God after the accident and praise him with a heart that is overflowing with joy.

It's like this: When you thank your friend, parent, or partner for the gift they gave, the wonderful meal they prepared, or their preparations for a harmonious evening, you realize that the giving also gave them joy. The gift, the meal, or the time spent together represent more than their face value. They are tokens of love and therefore so much more—to them and to you. Now imagine this in a relationship with someone you can thank for everything, everything. This is what it's like to have a God-directed thankfulness for everything in your life. 

Everything? I know this is a tall order but, yes, everything. If we believe that God wants the best for us, then as mature Christians we even thank him while things are not going well, because even they will eventually lead to something good. This may seem outrageous, like a cheap cop-out to someone who has not encountered faith, but it provides a good segue to our next amazing advantage. Read on.