The Obedience Of Thanksgiving
The Bible says to give thanks, but what if you don’t feel thankful?
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada, and I know you’ve been there. You’re a Christian; you know the Bible verses; you know that gratitude should be second nature. And you know the warnings if you are not thankful; I mean, what one of us hasn’t read that in the Bible? In Romans chapter 1, verses 21 and 24, it says that, “…although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him…therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts….” So, God doesn’t suggest that we give thanks, he commands us. But what if you don’t “feel” thankful? You know, I remember many years ago feeling trapped by my wheelchair. I hated my circumstances; I wanted out. And it did not help when a friend showed me 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 where it says, “In everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
But I didn’t get it. How could I possibly give thanks for a life of total paralysis? So, I told my friend, no, I would not give thanks. Because if I did, it would simply show I’d be hypocritical. It would be a lie, because I wasn’t thankful. That’s when my friend wisely said, “Joni, look at this Bible verse again. It’s not saying that you must feel thankful; you can’t possibly do that. But it does say to give thanks. Giving thanks has nothing to do with feeling thankful. There’s a big difference between trusting God and having trustful feelings.”
Now, what he said had in it the ring of truth. It almost sounded doable, but I challenged him further. I said, “You mean to give thanks for a life of total paralysis?! That’s just too much, too big! I can’t wrap my head around that.” And so, he advised that I start small; start with things for which I can give thanks. My friend had me there. And so, I thought, well, I guess I can do that. I started small. I started giving thanks for little stuff like, well, that I had friends cheering me on; that my hospital bed was near the window. Let’s see – I can give thanks that I can at least flail my arms a bit; I can still talk and see and hear. I give thanks that the hospital staff serves meals on my side of the hallway first; that means breakfast and dinner is gonna be warm. I gave thanks to God that I could at least go to physical therapy. Friend, do you see what I was doing? Very slowly, over time, God then rewarded me for taking those shaky steps of faith; He rewarded me with feelings of thankfulness. First came obedience – you know, give thanks to God. And then, and only then, did the emotions, the feelings of being thankful, arrive.
I tell you, all you gotta do is exercise a little bit of mustard-seed-sized faith, and God’s gonna multiply your obedience like nothing else. Faith is like a muscle; you focus it on Scripture; you start bending and stretching and exercising that faith – giving thanks – and, lo and behold, your faith grows stronger. And you’ll be able to believe God more. And as my faith grew? As I felt that surge of gratitude? Man, I started giving thanks for all kinds of stuff; big things, greater things in my life, and that is when everything changed. I became a chronically grateful person. I am a Christian for whom it is second nature to give thanks. And, yes, to even feel thankful.
Today, if you believe you’ve been dealt an awful hand; if your heart is lacking joy, yet you want things to change? Take my advice. No, no, take the advice of 1 Thessalonians: Give thanks for small things, and your feelings will catch up.
