Developing an Attitude of Gratitude

I heard a preacher tell of a visit he made to a hospital. A young girl, who was a member of his congregation, was there going through a series of tests to determine whether or not she had cancer. The doctors suspected that she did have cancer. As it finally turned out, she did not, but at the time the minister called on her, the doctors had not received any of the reports from any of the tests, but the preliminary indications were that she did have a malignant tumor. He remembered something which the girl's mother said to him as they stood beside the bed and talked and prayed. She said, "You know, it times like these, you really learn what is important."

I would have to agree with the statement of that distraught mother, for most of us drift through life aimlessly - having our values somewhat distorted. We are busy going here and there, doing this and that, and it often will take some crises, some form of tragedy, or some other difficulty that squeezes us into a corner, to reveal to us the things that matter most in life - the things that are really important.

Thanksgiving is vital to victorious Christian living (I Thessalonians 5:18). We need to have an attitude of gratitude. Make no mistake about it - you cannot hope to live a life of fellowship and communion with the Lord Jesus Christ - a life in which the Spirit's fullness is evident - unless you learn how to be thankful. Thanksgiving is not to be something which we do only one day out of the year. On the contrary, it is to be a daily expression of our lives.

Here are some steps which can help us learn to give thanks always:

Recognize the reality of God's Presence. The songwriter expresses it well when he says: "He is always there, hearing every prayer, faithful and true; Walking by our side, in His love we hide - all the day through. When you get discouraged, just remember what to do - reach out to Jesus, He's reaching out to you." How comforting and encouraging it is to know of the reality of God's Presence with us - to know assuredly that we're not alone in the fight, for He is there.

Realize the availability of God's Power. The power of God has been made available to us through the blood of Christ. If we are without His power, it's our fault, and not God's. But that power is not given so much for the purpose of changing circumstances, as it is for the purpose of changing us. Ouch! Our world wants God's power so they can manipulate their circumstances to their favor, but God supplies His power more for the purpose of changing us.

Remember God's ultimate Purpose. God's one great purpose for our lives is that we be conformed, that is, that we become like His Son. That is what God is trying to do with your life and mine. He wants us to be like Jesus. Some of the paths upon which He places us don't seem as if they will take us in that direction. We wonder if God knows what He is doing. But understand this: If you make a commitment of your life to God, then every circumstance and every situation of your life can make you more like Christ - if you permit it to have that effect in your life. Compare Romans 8:28,29.

Dr. Viktor E. Frankl, Australian psychiatrist, was confined to a concentration camp during World War II, and he was subjected to atrocities that took the lives of weaker men. His own family died in the gas chamber. From this experience, Dr. Frankl remembers a few men who walked through the shacks giving encouragement and their last bit of food to others. The doctor said that everything can be taken from a man but one thing - his freedom to choose his own way. The camp influences were horrible, challenging the last ounce of one's will to survive. Dr. Frankl said this: "Even though conditions. . .and mental stresses may suggest that the inmates were bound to react in certain ways, in the final analysis it becomes clear that the sort of person the prisoner became was the result of an inner decision. . .Fundamentally, therefore, any man can. . .decide what shall become of him - mentally and spiritually."

We can be thankful, by learning to be so. Determine to do so - starting today!