The holiday suggests that this is a time to give thanks more than other seasons. But the problem is, preparation and visiting and other aspects of the holiday add stressors that get in the way. So we take at least a moment, either publicly or privately, to say what we’re thankful for. I hope we all deeply feel that at some point on Thanksgiving.
But by nature, gratitude is hard to practice. When problems arise, they dominate our thoughts. Soon enough, wants and needs overshadow what we have received. Problems often become nearly all that we see.
Gratitude in Scripture as a way of life
But Scripture tells us that gratitude is the way to to a more victorious way of life.
Paul says that when you’re anxious, giving thanks is one of the first steps toward breaking the impasse and receiving peace. “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Phil 4:6-7). Paul also points out that you need to insert thanksgiving into your thoughts, because it doesn’t happen naturally.
Psalm 143 describes a dismal moment in the life of the psalmist. He says that he sits in darkness, and “my heart within me is desolate.” But then, when he specifically recounts what God has done for him, the whole tone of the psalm turns to hope. He says, “I meditate on all that you have done.” And then he’s able to confidently say to God, “I stretch forth my hands to you.”
Notice that the psalmist doesn’t merely acknowledge that it’s been better before. He meditates on what God has done. This sets the hope and expectation that God will do great things again.
Take ten minutes
Try setting aside a quite moment at least once a week to meditate about what you’ve received, and see how that gives new perspective on the present.
- First, celebrate the abundance that you have right now. No matter what difficulty you’re going through, there’s abundance, too.
- Then take a moment to specifically list the may blessing that you have, including those that are now entering into your life.
- Finally, acknowledge the many dreams that have already come true for you. This includes things that you now take for granted but at one point seemed beyond reach.
If you haven’t done this for a while, you’ll have new perspective like the psalmist. Your attention will shift from what seemed like a tunnel in front of you what God has really given: a green field with open skies and a broad horizon.
To go a step further, consider the things that you have that other people, if they only had them, would say that their dreams have come true. Can you walk? Imagine what someone might say that would do if they could only walk again. Do you have another month of active life ahead of you? How many people lying in a hospital bed are thinking about what they would do if they had only one more month to live a full life–how they would set things right and see things differently.
A Catholic approach
I hope this holiday is an important time to be thankful with family. But let’s also remember that as Catholic Christians, we have sources of thanksgiving that can make us stand out in the surrounding culture. Undergirding it all is the Eucharist, a word which simply means “thanksgiving.”
Many of us will be around relatives and friends who don’t share our hope in Christ.
A life of gratitude in Christ can enable us to stand out in a dark world as those who have hope that springs eternal.