HOW TO LIVE A THANKFUL LIFE

I keep trying to think of the most thankful people I know, and they’re all seasoned saints with years of wisdom. The younger generations (of which I belong to as well!) don’t give us a very good picture of what it’s like to be thankful in all circumstances. But I don’t want to wait until I’m almost in glory to become a thankful person. So where do we start? What does it look like to live a truly thankful life?

A life of thankfulness looks like making choices that develop a deep desire to know God better. Knowing God better should always be the beginning of growth (Prov. 9:10). Read your Bible. Meditate on His Word. Study his Word. Pray. Serve. Share the gospel. Make choices that will foster a desire for God. Read your Bible when you don’t feel like it. Pray even when going to God is the last thing you want to do. Choose a schedule that forces you to spend time with God. Develop friendships with believers who will inspire you to love God more. Plan to serve others. If you know God better, the problems of this world become simpler, the solutions clearer, and the struggles in your life will fade in comparison with the majesty of God. Seek Him first.

A life of thankfulness that is fueled by a deep desire to know God that will obliterate entitlement and selfishness. When we put self as the primary person in our lives, we tend to feel entitled to a certain lifestyle of ease. “I shouldn’t have to suffer this flat tire”, “this person is so boring”, “I hate the DOL”, “where did all this traffic come from?”, “why does this always happen to me?”. These observations and questions don’t fuel a life of thankfulness because they are focused on us. Instead, looking outward at God and others trains us in thankfulness. “Lord, thank you that I didn’t hit anyone while I pulled over to fix my tire”, “How can I be helpful and encouraging to this boring person?”, “God, thank you for this forced time to wait at the DOL so I can catch up on my Bible reading”, “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work on being patient and the extra time to pray to you while driving in this traffic”, “Thank you for being faithful even when I can’t see your magnificent plan in these events.” We don’t deserve this life and we certainly don’t deserve God’s grace. Focusing on God and others more will help us remember we are not entitled to an “easy” life (Rom. 5:1-5).

A life of thankfulness that is fueled by a deep desire to know God will obliterate entitlement and selfishness which in turn will keep us from blaming others and instead help us take responsibility for our actions. A common first response to an unpleasant situation is to blame any one or thing but ourselves. We are certainly NOT the cause of every terrible thing that happens in our lives, but when we are focused on ourselves instead of God, we can easily become blind to our faults. Maybe we want to blame the traffic for being late, but the truth is we were lazily on our phones and not paying attention to the time and so we left the house later than we should have. Maybe someone is treating you poorly so you play the victim and refuse to talk to that person when in actuality she or he is hurt by something you did first. A truly thankful heart is also a humble heart. It takes humility to admit to the things that get you frustrated and upset and keep you from joy and thankfulness might be partially your fault.

Know God, value Him and others above yourself, and be willing to take some responsibility in the circumstances of your life. The good news is that you don’t have to wait until you’re older to live a thankful life. Start today.

RESOURCE: “Turn Your Eyes”

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