From counting down months, we now countdown weeks until we wrap up another year and to say that ‘times have changed’ is a big understatement. The usual reaction people have when they realize that the year is ending to take a look back at how the year was. The many “year-end specials” various media outlets have offers make this very evident. Ever wonder why this is the common reaction at the tail of the year? It’s because looking back can lay the foundation of what you will be building in the future. Lessons learned from mistakes, good practices to be consistent with; we look back to what was in preparation for what is ahead.
At times, because sights are deadest on what is to come, we tend to overlook a key element in our Christian walk. At first glance it seems like a simple idea that we end up missing it completely- and that is GRATITUDE. As followers of Christ, our hearts must be shifted on a perception of thanksgiving. And like most virtues, it doesn’t appear in an instant. Instead it becomes ingrained the more we are able to reflect and practice it in our lives.
Here are some realizations about thanksgiving that can help build habits in developing a grateful heart.
1.) Thanksgiving honors God (Psalm 50:23)
One thing we have to understand is that a grateful heart plays a deeper role in our Christian lives than we might think. It’s more than just an attitude of “being thankful for what I have”, but a way for us to honor God. Notice that in the Bible, people of God have used different means to express and call upon The Lord in thanksgiving. Burnt offerings and songs of praises were but a few ways God’s people have honored Him. And the biggest similarity all of these have is that the act of Thanksgiving was a means to communicate with God. Expressing our gratitude not only shows how much we honor God, but it makes our relationship with Him more evident.
2.) Beware of Neglect (Romans 1:21)
Keep in mind that there is a huge difference between simply knowing God and consciously honoring Him. As Paul wrote in this letter to the Romans, nothing keeps your heart darker and further away from God than neglect. Neglecting to see the goodness of the Lord is a dampener to the soul. Without a grateful heart towards God, the tendency is for man to become arrogant and makes them think that it was through their strength that all these achievements were attained. Thanksgiving is a clear sign that our faith in God is strong. It distances a self-centered mentality far away and keeps our hearts in a right relationship with The Lord.
3.) Gratitude shifts our perception back to God (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Yes, when times get tough we as humans have a tendency to magnify the problem to a point where it obscures our view of God. Putting down this wall may prove to be a challenge to some but is something that can be overcome. Struggles present an opportunity for us to learn that God can use a bad experience to produce a good outcome. And this in turn shifts our perspective on how we view challenges. By shrinking the problem and magnifying our view of The Lord, it deepens our intimacy with Him.
4.) There is always a reason to be thankful (*1 Chronicles 16:34)
As children of God, we acknowledge that it may get challenging to persevere in difficult or tragic times, but we can praise God because *His steadfast love endures forever. And knowing that His love will always see us through, this is more than enough reason for us to be thankful and celebrate. Our God is bigger than any of our past disappointments, struggles and feelings of inadequacy.
By constantly putting God in the center of our being and connecting with Him with a heart of gratitude, we ground ourselves firmly in Him as we move forward into a brand new year.
