Thought #1: You Only Truly Meaningfully Possess What You Are Thankful For
During a spiritual renewal weekend that I just attended someone at a discussion table raised a question that has really gnawed at my conscience. “What if tomorrow when you awoke, the only things you had were the things you thanked God for today?” Wow! What a frightening thought for me. Some days I would awake and be a wealthy man, other days I would awake utterly impoverished.
It strikes me that whether that literally happens or not, it does happen everyday. You can have everything, but if you pass the day never realizing the value of your blessings, what do you really have? The opposite is true as well. If you have very little and yet travel through your day filled with a sense of gratitude and joy for what you do have, does it really matter what you are missing?
So, in short, I think their statement is a truth we experience every day. I would put it perhaps a bit more bluntly–We only truly meaningfully possess anything, when we are grateful for it.
Thought #2: Why You Are Grateful Matters
The apostle Paul was grateful even for his suffering. He wasn’t a masochist. His gratitude stemmed from the fact that he knew his sufferings advanced the kingdom of God. His gratitude was rooted in a purpose far bigger than himself. Imprisonment kept placing him repeatedly before significant leaders in order to share the Gospel. This gave him great joy.
When I consider Paul’s sense of gratitude, mine seems pretty shallow. What are you thankful for and why?
Thanksgiving day will be here in about a month. I hope and pray when it comes that both the quantity and quality of my gratitude honors God.