An Attitude of Gratitude
As the Thanksgiving season approaches, the unique aspects of this “American” holiday dedicated to thankfulness come to mind.
- Thanksgiving is a holiday rooted in history. The very existence of your forefathers was the result of divine blessing. The land’s rejection of cultivation, the onslaught of their human opposers, the vengeance of debilitating diseases, and the peril of nature worked to discourage, and even eliminate, many of these early settlers.
- This holiday is reserved for the family—a time for every generation to gather around the table.
- This holiday is devoted to God. Thanksgiving was begun as a national reminder of the blessings of God. No nation in any generation has enjoyed prosperity and blessing equal to or surpassing the United States of America.
What is Gratitude?
Three essential elements are necessary for you to experience gratitude and express thankfulness.
- There must be consciousness of the benefit received. Some years ago I had considerable pain from a ganglion cyst in my right hand. After visits to several doctors and multiple attempts to alleviate the problem, I was convinced that surgery, which would be minor, or so we thought, was the only answer. However, something went wrong, and for several months after surgery I was in intense pain and virtually lost the use of my right hand. With the help of a patient therapist and the encouragement of my concerned family, I gradually began to revive the use of my hand—brushing my hair, holding a fork, opening a door, each small task took on new importance—and there was surging emotion within, an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the smallest task performed with that feeble hand. Never before had I felt genuine gratitude for my hands.
- Gratitude presupposes contentment, which explains the apostle Paul’s admonition (Phil. 4:11). Unless you are pleased with your situation, you will develop bitterness and resentment. A woman of faith who has committed her life to Jesus Christ—the “blessed controller of all things”—may experience loss but not emptiness, disappointment but not despair, adversity but not defeat, because she knows that ultimate victory is coming through Christ (see Rom. 8:28; 1 Cor. 15:57). Three times Paul asked the Lord to remove his “thorn in the flesh,” but every time God answered, “My grace is sufficient” (2 Cor. 12:7, 9). Believers throughout the world have experienced spiritual growth through suffering.
- Genuine gratitude will find its expression in public acknowledgment or celebration for human kindness and ultimately for divine goodness. Expressions of gratitude are found in Scripture for food (John 6:11, 23), for wisdom (Dan. 2:23), for personal salvation (2 Cor. 9:15), for a child (Gen. 21:6-7; 1 Sam. 1:27-28), for the privilege of completing a task (Neh. 12:31, 40), for changed lives (1 Thess. 2:13), for God’s presence (Ps. 75:1), for the working of God in others (1 Thess. 1:2), for answered prayer (John 11:41), for God’s unlimited goodness (Pss. 106:1; 107:1; 136:1-3), for victory (1 Cor. 15:57).
Some years ago my heart was as full of thanksgiving as it has ever been as I stood on the banks of the Jordan River in Israel. At my side stood our tall eleven-year old son, who had only a few months before completed his first missionary journey. In the river stood my godly husband as he led our young daughter through the waters of baptism. Yes, my gratitude was for answered prayer, for a priceless convert, my very own daughter, who was now my sister in Christ; for a spiritual victory in public testimony of commitment, for a changing life in which Christ was working, for completing the task of bringing our children to faith in Christ.
What Is an Attitude of Gratitude?
An attitude of gratitude must be part of your lifestyle—not dependent upon people or circumstances but rather upon a confident faith in the Lord (Phil. 4:6). The apostle Paul further suggests that this spirit of thanksgiving is to accompany what you do as a testimony for the Lord Jesus to others and as an offering of love to the Father (Col. 3:17). This attitude of gratitude is an essential part of the believer’s preparation for coming before the Lord (Pss. 95:2; 100:4) and will certainly be a part of the heavenly abode (Isa. 51:3; Rev. 7:12).
Thanksgiving is not optional, chosen as an outfit for the day, but rather it is predetermined as an essential part of your worship of the Lord God (Ps. 50:14). No doubt there will be times when that thanksgiving will accompany a sacrifice even as it did in Old Testament times (Ps. 116:17).
At times your thanksgiving comes from a grief-stricken heart, suffering body, or burdened mind; but underlying all human tragedy for the believer is the loving heavenly Father (2 Thess. 2:13). Paul calls for unceasing thanksgiving (Eph. 1:6; 5:20).
Biblical Examples of Gratitude
Heading the list of the grateful are the redeemed of the ages (Ps. 107:1-2). You cannot help feeling a thankful spirit when considering the mercy and grace of God and His matchless gift providing atonement and payment for your sin. The righteous of every age give thanks to the One who made possible their righteousness and redemption.
In the Old Testament King David offered praise to YAHWEH God for the opportunity to prepare for the building of His temple (1 Chron. 29:13). In the New Testament, praise flowed from the lips of the prophetess Anna as she beheld the Messiah in human flesh (Luke 2:38). Out of the many who experienced healing from Jesus, only a few expressed gratitude (Luke 17:12-19). There is also the example of Jesus Christ Himself (Matt. 11:225; 26:27; John 11:41) and of the heavenly choir, in which all believers will unite to join in celestial melodies.
The Earthly Challenge
There is no better season of the year to challenge your heart to godly gratitude than Thanksgiving! Begin now to prepare your heart for this season of thanksgiving. Even in the rough times, look to Him for strength and comfort as you run the race He has set before you. Accept the challenge of the apostle Paul: “In everything give thanks” for surely this is God’s will for each one of His children (1 Thess. 5:18).
Thanksgiving is to be offered in private during your own quiet time with the Lord as exemplified by Daniel (Dan. 6:10). However, gratitude is also to be proclaimed publicly as found in the Psalms, acknowledging who God is and what He has done (Ps. 35:18).
Note: Adapted from my book A Woman Seeking God: Discovering God in the Place of Your Life (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1992), 73-76.
Dorothy Kelley Patterson serves as the First Lady and Professor of Theology in Women’s Studies at Southwestern Seminary. She has authored numerous books and articles including, Where’s Mom: The High Calling of Wives and Mothers, A Woman Seeking God: Discover God in the Places of Your Life, and Touched by Greatness: Women in the Life of Moses. One of Mrs. Patterson’s greatest joys is hospitality! She loves to cook and is known for her family’s famous “Kelley biscuits.”
