Thanks. For Everything?
For those of you who don't already know, I'm a confirmed gearhead- in many ways I'm also a frustrated engineer. I simply have to know how everything works. And why. In 1991 I nearly drove my lovely wife insane when I took over six months to pick out just the "right" CD player for our home audio system. Don't even ask about the new home theater. On top of all that I'm one-half German, which means that I possess genetic programming which compels me to ALWAYS READ THE INSTRUCTIONS! Needless to say, I receive no small amount of ribbing from some of my buddies, since it seems that reading the instructions is considered even less manly than asking for directions. Despite all the teasing I continue to read the instructions. You see, I've found that most of my mechanical debacles have occurred when I didn't read the instructions, skipped a few steps, and/or thought I knew better than the designer/builder of the product in question.
The same holds true for our Christian journey, I think. Trite self-help books notwithstanding, as God's children we really do have an instruction book: His Word. The problem is, we don't agree with it some of the time, we're in a hurry, or we think we know what is best. So we end up cherry picking the "acceptable" verses while substituting our painfully finite wisdom for that which is granted us by God. Then, when we fail or stumble in our walk with Christ we put the blame on Satan, non-believers, or even God. Especially God. We offer up a whine disguised as a prayer: "You made a terrible mistake, God. We both know I deserved that promotion." Or: "God, I really need a financial blessing. Why are you holding out?" We delude ourselves into thinking that God failed us, when in actuality the converse is true.
For example, read I Thessalonians 5:18, where Paul directs us to "in everything give thanks, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" Ellen Vaughn elaborates on this in her new book, Radical Gratitude: Discovering Joy Through Everyday Thankfulness. In a recent Christianity Today article adapted from that book Vaughn states:
Developing the meditative habit of constantly whispering thanks to him-no matter the situation-is, in fact, a mustard seed of life-changing power. Radical, for it goes to the root of who we are. Small, seemingly insignificant, yet it has the power to change our lives and blow our socks off, right in the midst of the everyday. When we really give God thanks in everything, we are acknowledging that he is sovereign and that we trust him. And we find that it changes us.
Like Vaughn, I'm coming around to the idea that thankfulness is foundational to the successful Christian life. A spirit of continual thanksgiving will make us receptive to God's instruction, thereby leading us to be more generous, patient, and loving. The very characteristics that should be-but frequently aren't-evident in our daily walk. Whether our present situation is hopeful or horrible, we need to remember that our only true and eternal hope(and life) is found in Christ. And give Him our constant thanks. For Everything.
Radical Gratitude : Discovering Joy through Everyday Thankfulness by Ellen Vaughn