Ok. I need to preface this with a piece of information. I am stubborn. I know some of you don't believe that, but it is one of my most endearing qualities :-/. Maybe not. And sometimes it is good to be stubborn, dig your heals in, and not let go until you reach the peak. What a view!
But sometimes stubborn is pride in disguise. And far too often my stubborn falls into this category. The most difficult part of this type of stubbornness is the pain it requires to learn life's lessons. I have a friend who frequently says, "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. The choice is yours." I'm not sure why I seem to do things the hard way. Surely I would learn by now. My counselor once told me that it would be much less painful if I would learn to not be so stubborn (she meant prideful) and simply yield to the learning and growing process.
I say all of that to say this, I'm learning. And this time, I'm learning the power of thanksgiving. In a recent conversation with my friend she commented that when a particular event would come around in my life, she knew it was coming whether I had ever told her or not. She said my countenance changed about two days before and it really affected who I was and how I interacted. She was kindly telling me that I became a grouch and she really would rather not be around me unless I changed my attitude. I was definitely a downer. And who wants to be around that!! I will confess that I pretty much scoffed at her observation. When will I learn....
Anyway, this particular event came around again, and I approached it as I always do. Only this time I actually saw and heard myself. Ewww... dang it she was right. Here I am. Total Oscar the Grouch. I really don't even want to be around myself! But what's the fix? "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (I Thessalonians 5:18) P.S - wanna know God's will? Give thanks...
And this time, I chose to give thanks, and I don't think I was so green and grouchy this time. It was a little delayed, I did start out the grouch, but I didn't stay there. The situation did not change, but my attitude about it did, and that made all the difference.
I began to ask myself, why is thanksgiving so powerful? I have found in the very recent past that one of the best weapons I have against the lies of the devil is a simple "thank you." What is it about thanksgiving, about thankfulness that changes the heart? The situations may not change, but the attitude does.
Here are just a few ponderings that may help answer that.
1. A thankful heart cannot be a proud heart. Thankfulness is an attitude of humility. Thankfulness recognizes the generosity of the giver and focuses on the giver, not on self. A proud heart is that way because the focus is self. A thankful heart is focused outward toward others. Satan cannot stand humility. It is the exact opposite of all he is. Hearing thankfulness is hearing humility. He will leave.
2. A thankful heart remembers the good and forgets or forgives the bad. Have you ever been in an argument or frustrated with someone you love? Start being thankful for the good about them. It's hard to remain angry or frustrated when all you see is the positive. Satan wants nothing more than to cause division. It's hard to be divided when focusing on the strengths and positives of relationship.
3. A thankful heart has hope. Being thankful reminds us of all that has been but also reminds us of all that will be. Thanksgiving, regardless of the circumstances, acknowledges that God is good. It acknowledges that he gives good gifts, even if they appear as funny shapes sometimes. Hope scares the devil because it is a promise for tomorrow. He would much rather us believe all we have is today. Hope is the encouragement to continue forward, regardless of situation, relationship, or circumstance.
4. A thankful heart is consumed by grace. A thankful heart recognizes there is no greater gift than grace. A thankful heart recognizes how undeserving we are and yet still we receive. Grace saves us and grace frees us. Thankfulness recognizes grace and perhaps that is the biggest threat to Satan. As much as he cannot bear humility, grace is what undoes him. Perhaps that is why we "say grace." It is an overflow of thanksgiving - speaking the truth of grace.
Today, I am going to begin to embrace thanks. As I do, I embrace humility. I embrace forgiveness. I embrace hope. I embrace grace. I embrace the giver of all that is good - it is right to give thanks!
