Well, I guess we have all stepped on the scales since Thursday and realized Thanksgiving has passed and Christmas is on its way! There may still be some turkey and trimmings in the refrigerator and maybe some pumpkin pie around, but family and friends have gone and all that remains is the mess they left!
But, the question remains, did we stop – truly stop – and express our appreciation for the Lord’s blessings? Did we even pause the television football game or parade route to say “Thank you, Lord” for His bountiful provisions? Too many of us are like the nine cleansed lepers that we read about in the Bible in Luke 17. They were healed by the miraculous power of Jesus Christ, but were too involved with their own lives to return to give thanks!
We all see evidence of ingratitude everywhere we look. Often people get so wrapped up in doing the right thing that they forget the many gifts that they receive along the way. Most theologians would call that “legalism” and note that it removes much of the reason for thanksgiving in its call to performance!
We see ingratitude in the dishonoring of, and in the failure to honor those around us who have been instrumental in helping us to become the person we are. A few years ago I felt the Lord speak to me about Christians by saying, “If there is no good tidings for all people, there can be no joy.” As a result, I made several telephone calls to people who I had not talked to in years, just to say “thanks” for their contributions to my life. I talked to former Senior Pastors with whom I had served, former board members who had served me, and to many friends that I had left behind in my geographical moves. It is often correctly said, “Out of sight, out of mind”, but for the grateful, every effort will be made to never allow this to happen! Go, get your old phone books and make some phone calls – write some notes – or go visit somebody who has helped you along your pathway!
We see thanklessness in the attitude that expects the world to provide everything we want without any obligation from us! One thing that really “sticks in my craw” is for people who want all kinds of gifts and feel no need to even say, “Thanks!” But, even then, a simple “thanks” can have a greater impact with actions behind those words. It is a Biblical principle to give a tithe of our increase, but the principle also should be extended to deeds. Imagine the blessings to the community if each of the basket recipients would show appreciation by some appropriate action!
The cure for ingratitude is the recognition of our personal unworthiness. This comes easy for a person who has been a great sinner, but it is hard for people who do not recognize they have done wrong in this life. Once our self-deceiving image of what we are is shattered and we look to God for mercy, then perhaps we will begin to be grateful.
We all must make a conscious effort to discover the source of our blessings. We are the recipients of the creative contributions of the entire human race. Our lives are entwined in innumerable ways with those of all people living today, and what those people are and what those people do somehow touches our lives.
If ingratitude is to be cured in our personal lives, we must discover the blessings of giving. Gratitude grows as we see what our own giving can mean to others. One who learns to give learns to be grateful! This is why I applaud the efforts of the Scout leaders who are taking the Scouts out to gather canned goods to give away. May others seek ways of teaching the younger ones how and make it possible for them to have something to give.
There are a number of benefits of a grateful heart. Gratitude will make one more joyful and less critical. Envy is the root of criticism. A thankful person can and will rejoice in the success of others, and will try to help those who seem to always fail, succeed. Gratitude will motivate us toward service!
Gratitude will add a profound sense of meaning to our existence. We will begin to understand, in part, why God has put us here; why God put others here; and how important the ingredient of gratitude is in both the earthly and eternal happiness of mankind.
Thanksgiving was a time to stop, take a long, deep breath and say, “Thank you, Lord!” If you were too busy getting on with life that you failed to be grateful, then take time right now. Never find yourself like the nine ungrateful lepers, and always find yourself like the one who returned to give thanks!
