Why Do We Need to Be Thankful?
Real answers to common questions, objections, and struggles in giving thanks
No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (TLB)
When I read a text like that, I wonder:
Why is thankfulness a core aspect of Christian spirituality?
How do we practice thanksgiving that is not feigned or legalistic?
Are we really expected to thank God for bad things?
What are the characteristics of someone who can practice thanksgiving in troubled times or with a genuinely troubled spirit?
Let’s take those questions one at a time.
Why is thankfulness a core aspect of Christian spirituality?
Practicing thankfulness keeps us grounded in the truth that life is one giant “both/and.” It is like train tracks: hardship and happiness run side by side. After a hard, lamentable day at work or an upsetting news story, I’m walking the dogs and see a dramatic sunset that draws worshipful thanks from my heart. The beauty does not make the hardship go away. The colors of the sky do, however, ground me in the reality that while my day was hard and the news is grim, our Creator God is making all things beautiful in his own time. After a night of painful worry, I wake up to my wife who I have known and loved since middle school. I can offer a peaceful thanks for her—even though the worrisome event still threatens.
Let thankfulness do its job: It keeps you in touch with reality. Reality is the only place God exists. The both/and of life is reality, and reality is the only place we can find God and walk with him.
Are we really expected to thank God for bad things?
No. We grieve and lament bad things. We pray for God to take them away and for him to be close by while suffering lingers. And—even in hard, confusing, disorienting times, God is at work achieving good in the world. God’s faithful presence, not the bad stuff happening to us, is the basis for consistent thanksgiving.
What are the characteristics of someone who can practice thanksgiving in troubled times?
Someone who lives in thankfulness stays present to the moment. They don’t get sucked into the regrets of the past or obsess about an uncertain future. Maturity does not deny reality—either the good or the bad—but a thankful person knows that any experiences of the good, past or present, call for thanksgiving.
Selflessness is another key to thankfulness. When we experience trials, we can stay centered by rejoicing with family or friends who are experiencing good times. Acknowledging the blessings of others will remind us of the goodness of God, which is itself a cause for thanksgiving.
To be thankful, we must habitually notice where God is at work. Attentiveness redirects us to God’s action, instead of focusing on times when God seems absent, hidden or not at work. When we are mindful of God’s actions, we ensure we do not get distant from God, lose hope, or lose a thankful heart.
How do we practice thanksgiving that is not feigned or legalistic?
Thanksgiving is the giving of thanks. Typically, it is something we give because we feel the emotions associated with gratitude and appreciation. Other times, it is like working out. We flex muscles of thanks to get stronger at it, to build a heart-habit of thankfulness, which is one of the most foundational and stabilizing aspects of Christian spirituality. And like learning a new exercise, never beat yourself up for having to practice thanksgiving, for being an apprentice in gratitude. The only way we more faithfully imitate Christ is by apprenticing ourselves to Jesus, the Master, who in the scriptures frequently thanked his Father (see Luke 10:21 and John 11:41).
Around the globe, right this second, babies are being born into loving families, while simultaneously, people are dying a brutal death in war. Life is a maddening both/and. We do not have to deny the darkness to name the light. But we are called to name the light and live into it, especially in the midst of darkness. Let’s fearlessly name the reality of joy and sorrow and faithfully live in it. Recognizing the good gives us the perspective and strength we need to deal well with the bad.
God’s will for us is to be thankful. This is not primarily a moral imperative to fight bad attitudes. It is an invitation and gift to see and name the blessings of life with God. Thanksgiving is the gift of a grounded, settled life when all else is unstable.
In whatever mix of blessing and hardship you may be living this Thanksgiving, blessings to you as you walk steadily with God in the midst of your both/and.