It’s Thanksgiving time again. October 12 is Canadian Thanksgiving, and November 26 is the day of thanks in the United States. Will you pause to give thanks at Thanksgiving this year? A newspaper article concluded that it is not as easy to be truly thankful as we might think.

A polling organization conducted a poll of adults to discover their feelings about Thanksgiving.

• 67% said they make a point of expressing thanks or gratitude to other people all the time; 30% some of the time.
• 54% say they express gratitude to God all the time; 35% some of the time.

But a number of religious leaders interviewed by a national newspaper say that being thankful is more of a challenge than people might think.

The article concludes, ironically, that affluence is one of the greatest hindrances to being thankful. Yet you would think that when people have more to be thankful for, they would naturally be more thankful.

One minister interviewed by newspaper reporters said he’s convinced that affluence is one of the things human nature deals with most poorly. “The more we have, the more we feel we deserve. If we feel we got what we have because we deserve it, we are not grateful for it.”

Another minister interviewed by the reporter had this to say: “Many people in this country take what they have for granted. We get addicted to things. As we get more and more, it takes more and more to energize us, and before long we are numbed to all that we have.” The same minister noted that he has traveled in Africa and other areas of poverty and has noticed these people are often more gracious and willing to share what they have than Americans are.

Does a brief prayer over a heavily laden Thanksgiving table mean that we are truly thankful? Does just saying we are thankful to others or to God when asked mean that we are truly thankful? Hardly.

The Bible teaches us much about gratitude and how to have genuine gratitude. Romans 1 names a number of sins people commit. One of the reasons people sin and ignore God’s laws is, “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened” (Romans 1:21). Unthankfulness will be one of the characteristics of people at the close of human history. “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Timothy 3:1-5).

The Bible warns us of the dangers of affluence by telling us: “When thou shalt have eaten and be full; then beware lest thou forget the LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:11, 12). Then Deuteronomy leaves this challenge: “When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the LORD thy God for the good land which he hath given thee” (8:10).

The only way to be a genuine, consistent giver of thanks is to surrender to God. “Let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful” (Colossians 3:15).

Thanksgiving and gratitude make the world a better place to live. Genuine thankfulness affects the way we treat people in many areas of life, even driving. It is inconsistent for a person to claim to be thankful, then go out with road rage. If our lives are filled with gratitude, we won’t be out constantly demanding our rights—that we get everything we think is coming to us. Our land abounds in lawsuits, basically because people are ungrateful for what they have. They demand more and more. Then, are they truly satisfied? Seldom.

Thanksgiving as a way of life is not optional. If we choose ingratitude as a way of life, we will suffer terrible consequences. The newspaper article stated: “The payoff for having a grateful heart is you feel better about yourself and you’re kinder to others.” People who cultivate gratitude are a lot happier than the ungrateful. Furthermore, the unthankful will suffer the consequences beyond this life. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness” (Romans 1:18).

Taken from: Reaching Out Issue 85

Lang

English

Otè

Roger Berry

Edite

Reaching Out

Sijè

Filozofi Materyalis