Do you ever feel like you can’t shake off the envy that creeps into your heart or the comparison that fuels your insecurity? Are you ever tired of the fear that drags your soul down and the worry that casts a shadow of gloom on your day? Me too. Telling myself to “stop worrying” is entirely unhelpful because if that were the solution, I would have done that a long time ago.
Question: What DO I do to eliminate these unwanted intruders?
Answer: Practice GRATITUDE and THANKSGIVING.
When I start giving thanks for where I am, I can be thankful for what I have. My worry, comparison, and discontentment become a fading memory as I put my focus on what I DO have instead of on what I DON’T. Instead of wanting my friend’s personality, I thank my Creator for the quirks I get to call my own. Instead of wishing to live in an entirely different lifetime, I can delight myself in the purposes of the Lord, knowing that He set aside this time for a reason and set me IN this time for a greater plan. Thankfulness is a choice, and the Lord tells us in His word to give thanks because it glorifies Him (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
What if the difficulties we’ve walked through in 2020 are not merely the result of circumstances? Have we extended our Thanks to the King, who is sovereign over these circumstances? Have we humbly accepted what He has offered?
You may think you have nothing to be thankful for, but I challenge you to think again. Are you breathing? Give thanks. Do you have food to eat every day? Give thanks. Are you struggling, worrying, and fearing? Even in THIS, give thanks. I don’t know about you, but I know that MY hope rests in something greater than what I’m personally battling and what’s culturally happening. My peace, joy, and purpose come from the very One who designed me for this era of history. We should not be surprised when we see destruction, violence, and disease because that’s a guarantee in our fallen world. Yet, we are still MORE than conquerors in Christ (Romans 8:37)
So, how do you shake off the despair and worry? Give thanks. Put your hope in the Hope Giver and Life Sustainer. Ask yourself if there is anything you are harboring that may keep you from giving thanks. My God is bigger than all of me and my life; therefore, I choose to give thanks this day.