DELIGHT & BE GRATEFUL
Have you ever had one of those days [or weeks, more like] where every time you scroll through Instagram or Facebook you are amazed by all of the incredible things your friends and people you admire are doing? One person posts a picture from their incredible trip to London, the next friend announces an internship they got with a super artsy magazine that you’ve always admired. Maybe you’ve been trying to write a book for years and an author that you look up to is sharing pictures from conferences and book releases and you just want to be. there. already. I mean, we all have people in our feeds that are super successful in our area of interest or who seem to have artsy, adorable lives and the more we look at theirs- the more our lives look dull and bland. It could be a whole myriad of things, from trying to get pregnant and it seems that everyone these days is posting that they are pregnant, from wanting to photograph more weddings and all the other photographer’s in the world seem to have an unlimited amount of weddings. The options are endless. We are constantly comparing ourselves to people who seem to have bigger and better lives than ours.
You’ve most likely heard the saying, “comparison is the thief of joy”. It is a very good one to remind ourselves of when we’re having “one of those days”, but there is a whole lot more to the detriments of comparison than come in that well-quipped saying. Comparison comes in that still, small voice that begins to make you dissatisfied with your life. This kind of comparison often leads to direct disobedience of the Word of God. You see, the Bible is filled with verses about being thankful and praising God.
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” [1 Thessalonians 5.18]
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever!” [Psalm 107.1]
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving” [Colossians 4.2]
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” [Colossians 3.15-17]
“Give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the peoples, proclaim that His name is exalted” [Isaiah 12.4]
Everyone of those verses commands an attitude of thankfulness from believers. And not just the kind of thankfulness that the world encourages- the one that says “thank God I got that job I wanted!” or “I’m so thankful my family is healthy!”. Scripture commands us to give thanks in ALL things, so of course that DOES include the good things! But it also includes the bad and ugly. 1 Thessalonians 5.18 reminds us to give thanks in all circumstances. All circumstances covers a broad spectrum, all the way from your work situation to your love life. This kind of gratefulness requires a searching deeper, a digging into the Word and petitioning of God in prayer. We need the Holy Spirit to reveal to us how it could be possible that our seemingly horrible circumstances could become reasons to praise our Father.
Besides just giving thanks in all circumstances [as if it is as easily done as said], Colossians 3.15-17 talks about thankfulness as a body of Christ. Thankfulness unifies all believers, we all with one voice can raise our voices in praise to the God who gave the ultimate gift- His Son. We can come to our fellow believers and express gratitude for all of the incredible things we see Him doing in each other’s lives. So next time you see a sister in Christ who is living some dream that you were hoping would be yours, join her in thankfulness for the good gift God is giving her. And that time you see a friend who is facing a challenge, come alongside her and remind her of all the reasons she has to praise her Father. We need each other in the body of Christ. We need each other when we have exciting news to celebrate and we need each other when we are struggling to see how God could be sovereign given our current circumstances. Don’t let comparison steal the opportunity to glorify a good God with His people.
My challenge to you this month regards that special holiday that we all get the honor of celebrating at the end of November. When everyone goes around the dinner table, sharing what they are thankful for, have your answer prepared. Spend the next few weeks dwelling and meditating on the various passages about thanksgiving. Look at what God says about being thankful and don’t just go the easy route. Don’t just pick the things that are easy to be grateful for. Enter into the current season that God has you in- whether it be one of loneliness, trial, pain, or great perseverance. Enter into it and ask God what He is growing and building in you. Ask for a glimpse of His vision, His goal. Ask Him to share part of His Kingdom purpose with you. And count gratefulness for that. Praise Him for the fact that He is at work, praise Him for not just giving you exactly what you want all of the time because He actually knows what is best. Remember the times that He has saved you from what you thought was best and given you better. And then give your family and loved ones the chance to share in that gratefulness with you this month.
It is hard for me to write a post about gratefulness and not mention Ann Voskamp [if you haven’t read her book, One Thousand Gifts yet- go read it now. And if you have read it- go read it again], so I will leave you with this:
“Humbly let go. Let go of trying to do, let go of trying to control, let go of my own way, let go of my own fears. Let God blow His wind, His trials, oxygen for joy’s fire. Leave the hand open and be. Be at peace. Bend the knee and be small and let God give what God chooses to give because He only gives love and whisper a surprised thanks. This is the fuel for joy’s flame. Fullness of joy is discovered only in the emptying of will. And I can empty. I can empty because counting His graces has awakened me to how He cherishes me, holds me, passionately values me. I can empty because I am full of His love. I can trust.”
-Ann Voskamp
