Thanksgiving and Gratitude
Unfortunately, thanksgiving and gratitude are overused words and underutilized actions. It is the human condition. We must take conscious steps to give and yet, God tells us to give in secret. (Matthew 6:4) It is sacrificial to give our money or time, but giving quietly speaks of our heart’s humility. Both are difficult.
Giving Sacrificially
Brandon Lake recently dropped a song simply called, “Gratitude”. I cannot stop thinking about its most profound words. I will discuss those in a moment. But first my thoughts about giving and gratitude… Giving sacrificially is giving something that matters to us. This could be money or things or time. Time is especially sacrificial because once used, it can’t be retrieved. Further, if not given cheerfully, it is not a gift at all. Those who receive will know the difference.
It is by the grace of God that we give sacrificially and reap the benefits ourselves! We do not need the approval or knowledge from others to enjoy that kind of giving! Consider a mother who sacrificially gives to her child and then sees the grown man or woman emulating that same giving to their own or others. She knows she has taught them well through her sacrifice. However, giving does not have to be a big thing. It can be a phone call, a text or a ride somewhere. When we gather together, we are giving our time to others. It is indeed sweet. But when we give our time without telling anyone, God is especially pleased.
Gratitude
Perhaps “Giving’s” brother or sister is “Gratitude”. Gratitude is more than saying thank you (although we should acknowledge). It is a peaceful understanding of what has been given. It is not reason to feel undeserving or obligation. The fact of the matter is, we are ALL undeserving. Our resources do not belong to us; even our time. So, if we understand the attributes of true giving and true gratitude, we can give and receive freely – without assigning a value. The value is the action itself.
“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me’” (Matthew 25:40).
God sees our giving to others as giving to Him. All we have, including our very life, belongs to Him anyway. Therefore, we should not boast and we should be grateful for what we have, whether it meager or great.
Thinking Bigger
What are we supposed to give others? What does God really want from us? Thinking bigger, I think, is thinking simply. Every year, we are bombarded by commerce and buying gifts for others – even if we don’t have the means. Yet, other times of the year, we revert to our human condition. Oh, and it is sometimes so very ugly. None of us are immune to this fact. We’ve all been there and are to blame many times over. But forgiveness is also a sacrificial type of giving as well as the graciousness to receive it. Only through God can we achieve such things.
Some of the lyrics in the song I mentioned earlier are below. The song is simply called, “Gratitude” by Brandon Lake.
“So I throw up my hands
And praise You again and again
'Cause all that I have is a hallelujah, hallelujah.
And I know it's not much
But I've nothing else fit for a King
Except for a heart singing hallelujah, hallelujah.”
Hallelujah means “praise the Lord”. So, if I praise the Lord through the simple expression of lifting my voice and hands to Him and to others, He is pleased. I possess nothing fit for a King, but the truth is it is the ONLY thing fit for a King. May God bless you this Thanksgiving season and all throughout the year and may you, in turn, bless others. Hallelujah and Amen!
Tonya Noren
November 26, 2022