The Discipline of Thankfulness by Lisa Burkhardt Worley
It only takes one downturn, one delay, or one dig to move from thankful to thankless. It is during the difficult times when being thankful is the most important, because it is the cure to disappointment and sadness. It becomes a discipline to be thankful because it is not always a natural tendency.
Here is how the discipline looks. If a friend or spouse lets us down, instead of dipping into a vat of self-pity, it’s time to remember the positives about our loved one. Instead of What have they done for us lately? we need to think about the nice things they’ve done for us over the years as well as about the encouraging comments they’ve made. My guess is that, in most cases, the good will outweigh the bad.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” The Greek word here for “all” is “panti” and it means “every.” That means no matter what is going on, we need to find a reason to be thankful. It takes discipline.
Over my lifetime, I have found reasons to be thankful for every scenario of my life. Each one of them carried a lesson. Being fatherless led me to seek out my Heavenly Father. Having a mother who struggled resulted in my helping other women who need encouragement. Twenty years of secular television experience (that had its share of ups and downs) provided the training I needed to produce Christian television shows as well as documentaries to fight antisemitism. If we discipline ourselves to look for the good in a situation, we can always find something positive.
This Thanksgiving week will you join me in the discipline of being thankful—in everything? It’s God’s will for our lives. It may not always be easy implement, but it will help to defuse disappointment.
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