Hope a Little More Series - Thankfulness - An Act of Worship

I am so thankful to have one of my dearest friends Sarah, guest posting for me today. This post is the perfect reminder as this is the week of Thanksgiving. I know these words will encourage your heart like they have mine.

If your life is anything like mine, then you might be riddled with busyness, chaos, and distractions. As a mother to 4 boys (aged 6-2), every day that goes by feels FULL. My to-do list never ends, there is always someone who needs me, and stillness seems to elude me. In these seasons of life, a prayer of thankfulness is often distant from my lips. As a good Father, the Lord graciously hears my pleas for my needs. Yet, how much more should He also receive my songs of thanksgiving? After all, life itself, the good and the bad, is a gift. Despite the constant full throttle speed of life or even in the monotonous mundane, the worshipful act of giving thanks should always be present.

Taking Life For Granted Or With Gratitude

G. K. Chesterton said, “When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.” I must confess that my heart sometimes does take many aspects of life for granted. The constant busyness can often cause me to get lost in the moments and take for granted how God has blessed me. Rather than see every moment- joyful or difficult – as a gift of God’s grace, I can circumvent my own desires or expectations and completely miss an opportunity to give God a thankful heart. Instead of being thankful for God’s provision in being able to pack lunches for my sons, I take for granted the gift of caring for their hungry bodies. Or being distracted by the myriad of to-dos become times where I “me focused” and forget about the God who has blessed me with ways to serve others. My heart should radiate thankfulness because in all things He is faithful to provide and offer His help. And if I take things for granted, the I ultimately fail to worship the giver of all of life’s moments.

Thankfulness In Struggle

Taking the simple things of life for granted is easily done. But what about the bigger moments of difficulty or suffering? In God’s sovereignty and goodness, He has determined what He will allow to come to our lives. And one thing that all humanity has in common is our shared grief of suffering. Our levels of pain may vary, and only God’s divine wisdom knows why, yet we have an opportunity in those times of difficulty to offer our thanks. We can remember that it is His peace that calms our weary hearts (Philippians 4:7). We recall His faithfulness to never forsake us (Matthew 28:20). We rejoice that He promises that our present sufferings are but a shadow compared to the eternal glory we will inherit (Romans 8:18). But most importantly, we can give thanks for trials because though we may suffer incredible loss, through them we gain Christ.

Philippians 3:8 reads, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.” When we suffer loss, and for each individual this will look differently, we have an opportunity to redirect our hearts from this cursed world and its terrible consequences to the eternal truth of Jesus’ love for us. The heartache we endure is a reminder that this world has nothing for us, but in Christ we gain everything. And in that we can be most thankful.

A Thankful Heart Is A Worshipful Heart

When we are tempted to take life for granted or concentrate so much so on our circumstances that we neglect to give thanks to Jesus, we are essentially failing to worship our Lord. The Bible is very clear to command us to “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Whether we are living with chaotic distractions, mundane monotony, or heartbreaking struggles we can always offer hearts of gratitude to Jesus. It was He who purchased our hearts and offers us a glorious joy

About Sarah: