Does Thankfulness Help Communion With God?

Coming  home from work I looked around at the beautiful autumn day with the blue sky, the crisp air, and the colorful trees; I thought to myself, "What a beautiful day it is." It was a beautiful day the kind that only comes once a season.

The further I went the more I admired the bright yellows and golden hues of the leaves in contrast to the blue sky. The road was covered with rust and gold leaves and sheltered by the cool shadows of the trees.

"Thank you, Lord, for this beautiful day." The words came spontaneously without ceremony or preparation. I didn't know that I was going to say them- I just said them. Over and again I was moved to words of gratitude that I did not expect to say; the only preparation was the fact that it was indeed a beautiful day and I was thankful for it.

There are times when we willfully and as a matter of moral rightness decide to be thankful. It is a good practice to set aside times for thankfulness, like the beginning and ending the day. The practice of thankfulness is a discipline and the trait of a disciple. There are other times when gratitude is inspired by the present hand of The Lord.

I hope to become more responsive to God's works and give thanks with as much ease as one eats or breaths. I hope that thankfulness will be my first reaction to blessings and His workings in my life; and that my days will be fully punctuated with frequent declarations of thanks to The Lord, and not just the routine performance of thankful words at prescribed times.

The experience and practice of spontaneous thankfulness to The Almighty is the result of a life of communion with The Lord, where His hand moves in some way and we thank Him for it. We cannot perceive or understand God in the same way as other relationships but thankfulness is a way of punching a small hole in the darkness of our ignorance and seeing His wonder.

What To Do When You Don't Feel Thankful

It has been a hard week and today was a hard day: and I am looking ahead to a busy next few days where I do not see much relief.  I know I have many things to be thankful for but I am tired and do not feel thankful. I feel that I do not want to think much about the things I am thankful for and I feel that I do not want to spend time giving thanks to the Giver Of All Blessings, my Lord.

BUT
I know I should be thankful. I have been blessed. The very fact that I have been busy reflects that I have a family to care for, a job for an income, a home to live in and maintain, a church community to serve in.

NOT THE SAME
Feeling thankful is not the same as being thankful. Feelings are a blessing but the knowledge of what is right is the motivation of thankfulness. We give thanks because it is the right thing to do.

A DECISION
Though I don't feel thankful I will give thanks because I am blessed and the one who blesses is Good.

     * I am thankful for friends, family, home, job, chores, hobbies, and duties.
     * I am thankful that my diligent service is an opportunity to demonstrate my grateful stewardship of the blessings I have.
     * I am thankful that we have dirty dishes to clean up because that means we had food to eat.
     * I am thankful that we have a messy house to clean because that means we have a home to live in.
     * I am thankful for the aches and pains of getting old because that means I am still here to do some good.

Can We Force Ourselves To Be Thankful?

Some days you finish everything you have to do and go everywhere you have to go and it was a busy day but when it is over you don't feel thankful. You know you should be thankful but there is nothing all warm and bright bubbling up inside you.

TOO BUSY TO GIVE THANKS
Such was my day. I ran errands, first with my son, and my then my daughter. I did dishes and a load of laundry, swept floors, read my Bible, got groceries, wrote in my journal, fed the cat, and cleaned up the cat's box. painted a picture, cooked in the crock pot, and these are only some of the things that occupied me today. I don't feel thankful, but maybe being thankful is not a feeling but something else.

BUT I KNOW...
     * I know I should be thankful.
     * I know it is the right thing to do.
     * I know God deserves my expression of thanks.
     * I know I want to be thankful.

AN AGENDA
I think I need to schedule times in my busy day to be thankful. Perhaps that is why so many have the tradition of giving thanks at meals. Eating is something most healthy people do a few times a day.

Will giving thanks on cue force me to be thankful? I think it will and even if it doesn't then to be thankful is too important to not do on cue, on the clock, and without advance notice.

THANKFUL IS
If being thankful is not always a feeling perhaps it is a decision and a commitment; so I will practice giving thanks throughout the day. I will try to make various milestones to be a point at which I give thanks even if I do not feel like it.

Why Is It Hard To Be Thankful In Bad Situations?

Why is it is hard to be thankful in bad situations. Is it because our ability to express thanks is driven by external circumstances, or is it because we do not have the engine of thankfulness inside of us?

I experienced a reversal of fortune and found out that an opportunity has been denied to me. It is just a circumstance that occurred without malice, just an event.

I SHOULD BE THANKFUL:
I do have a lot to be thankful for, Such as:

• A loving family.
• A secure Job.
• Today I took a walk with my wife.
• I got to see my daughter play in the orchestra.
• I have good health that is excellent for a man my age.
• I live in a mostly peaceful society free from civil unrest.
• I have food, clothing, shelter, and all the basic needs.
• Money is tight but we are not penniless.

These blessings are denied to many of my fellow brothers and sisters here on earth. I know in my mind I should be filled with gratitude to the Almighty Father for the goodness I have experienced.

BUT I JUST DON'T FEEL THANKFUL.
Though I should be filled with gratitude I am not. Instead I keep saying, "Oh, why did that opportunity vanish? Why am I not getting ahead?" I keep thinking about what I wanted and how it is denied me. I spiral down and think of other lost opportunities, and failings in my life. This mindset feeds itself on itself and grows more gloomy and dark.

WHY?
I focus on the bad. I keep thinking on the negative. It is human nature.

MY CURE:
I do not know what works for other people but for me I know if I make a concerted effort to focus on the good my outlook improves. The Bible is full of commands and teaching that we should give thanks. Thankfulness has to be taught and commanded because left to ourselves we are not going to be thankful. That is just the way we are.

I can make list of things to be thankful for, I can say prayers of thanksgiving and send expressions of gratitude to those who have been a blessing to me. I am sure those strategies will help but I need power to energize change.

THE POWER TO CHANGE:
Humans do not have a thankful nature, but when we find salvation in Jesus he puts his Spirit in our hearts and by the power of the Spirit we are changed into new creatures- change will happen.

To know more about how Jesus can change you life follow this link: Salvation.