Gratitude

“Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.” – Ephesians 5:4

Well, November is here. It’s the time of year when the sun gets out of bed a little earlier and goes back to bed a little earlier too. When the weather starts to chill, and the leaves start to fall. When football finally gets interesting. It’s also the time of year when we get our families together to eat turkey and pumpkin pie (Gluten Free, obviously), to take a quick break from the busy-ness that has come to characterize far too much of our lives and be thankful.

There’s something beautiful about gratitude, about thankfulness. Perhaps it’s the strangeness of it. I’ve seen the news. An endless sea of talking heads complaining about the other talking heads. Democrats complaining about Republicans, and Republicans returning the favor. In our culture, complaining feels… homey. Normal even. So, when gratitude steps onto the stage and makes its brief appearance it seems out of place. It seems strange. But its beauty is undeniable. Its allure irresistible.

Or perhaps it’s the appropriateness of gratitude that draws us in. It’s hard to deny that we live in a blessed country and have much to be thankful for. Luxuries like indoor plumbing, central heat and air, homes with pantries filled with food, personal transportation and privacy fences—things most of the world has never experienced—are commonplace here. In the presence of all these blessings, maybe it’s the complaining that ought to seem strange.

If your family is anything like mine then you no doubt are accustomed to answering the question, “What are you thankful for?” Seems appropriate, given the reason for the get-together and all. But that question begs another. “Who are you thankful to?” It’s good to be thankful for things—for family, friends, and food. But where do those things come from? Who is thegiver of those gifts? It’s the answer to this question that separates those who believe in the beginning God from those who believe in the beginning no god.

Christian gratitude delights in the gifts. I really do love my family, my friends, my home, and good food. But that delight is meant to go further. Or, perhaps I should say higher. The gifts of God, like rays of the sun, are meant to be traced back to the Source. And it is there that our thankfulness will be complete.

We have much to be thankful for. Much to delight in. As we take time to remind ourselves of all the gifts we’ve been given, let’s not forget that they were just that—given.