Practicing Gratitude

Practicing Gratitude

“I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” – Apostle Paul as quoted in Philippians 4:11b-13

When it comes to contentment, most of us would read the words of Paul and commend him. But the second thought is, “Yeah, that’s not possible for me.” Indeed, Paul didn’t have to deal with constant marketing interrupting his daily life  (internet, social media, radio, billboards). And Paul didn’t deal with the reality of having almost anything he wanted delivered to his door with a smile on the side of the box that same day! However, it doesn’t matter if we are living in 2024 or in the times the New Testament was written – the human condition is the same. The human heart is prone to want more and more. And the human mind is prone to focus on what we don’t have. We are a people often hungry to consume and to covet.

Just the other day I was going on a tour of one of the Olathe High Schools with my son. We went through the “metal shop” where students in the program can design various things on the computer and then fabricate them. The tour displayed a beautiful CNC Machine as well as a Milling Machine. A current high school student displayed an intricate metal part for a robot that was designed and made on the Milling Machine. And my instant thought was, “I wonder how much that Milling Machine costs and if I could afford it.” What?! I mean in whose world should I own that machine? I have never in my life worked with metal and have absolutely zero plans to do so in the future. Can you imagine me trying to mill something of metal? I’d get metal shards stuck in my hands! And yet, my initial response to seeing something unique, beautiful, and different was to desire to own it. I have issues. But, so do you! Part of our broken nature is the desire to possess that which we do not have.

You may be asking why I’m writing about contentment in a blog post about practicing gratitude. And for me, that is a simple answer. Contentment is the result of practicing gratitude. When I intentionally practice gratitude, I am content – or at peace with myself, my belongings, and my place in life. And when I do not practice gratitude, I have no shot at being content.

The truth is we all want to experience the state Paul described in the verses above. We want to have hearts and minds that are content and at peace. To do that we have to practice gratitude daily.

So, let’s look at a few thoughts about how we can practice gratitude in our daily lives:

• Pay attention to what you are paying attention to.

I sound like Yoda, right?! But truly, pay attention to what you take in with your eyes. What are you staring at daily? What are you staring at for too long? What is consuming your daydreams? I know most of us are afraid of slowing down and reflecting on what is going on in our minds. But the truth is – most of what is going on in our minds is a result of where we put our eyes (and our attention). A simple shift can be focusing your attention on things that are good. Paul writes, “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8)

Think about what your eyes (and mind) are consuming and then run it through the filter Paul describes above. If what you are paying attention to doesn’t fall into those categories – then remove it. A step further would be to ask God if what you are paying attention to is simply a distraction. The things you are paying attention to may not be “bad”, but they are distracting you from what really matters. Think about what you are taking into your mind (whether on a screen, in print, or in daily life) and ask God to help you know whether it needs to go!

• Count your blessings – name them one by one.

Haha! Some of you are hearing an old hymn in your head right now, aren’t you! That old hymn has some wonderful truths. Namely, that there is power in looking around, naming our blessings, and expressing thanks to God. Too often we think about the things we don’t have. But the truth is that many of us are blessed beyond measure.

I recall my mother, who spent most of her growing years in Colombia and Peru, South America, telling me over and over as a child, “You have no understanding of the world. We live like Kings and Queens in America.” My mother had seen extreme poverty in this world and it changed her perspective. She taught me to be grateful for the many blessings in my life. For instance, I remember our car needing to be repaired as a child. Mom’s reply was, “Aren’t you grateful we have a car!” I thought mom was crazy. My perspective was , “What good is a car if it isn’t working?” What I would later learn is that only 7% of the world owned a vehicle at that time. Just owning a car put my family in the top 7% of the wealthiest people in the world. Talk about perspective!

Paul says, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) If you haven’t yet today, I’d suggest you tell God “thank you” for the many blessings in your life.

• Think of someone you can bless…and then do it!

Too often we think we are the center of the universe. The “me” monster grows and grows until our entire lives are focused on ourselves. Part of practicing gratitude is to get our eyes off of ourselves, our situations, and our problems. And then put our focus on the needs of others. When we see the needs others have, we realize that we can bless them with something we have. And when we bless them our entire perspective changes!

Specifically, this requires us to be generous. You can be generous with your time – serving others in small ways (raking yards, taking trash cans back to the garage, pushing grocery carts back to the store). And those small acts of kindness can make a big difference! But you can also be generous with your finances. Sometimes a small gift card or cash gift can be a tremendous blessing to someone who needs encouragement. Don’t fall into the trap of believing you can only be generous “someday when you have more money”. If you do that, you likely won’t ever become a generous person. Be generous today, with whatever you have.

When we choose to bless others around us we practice gratitude for what we have. We recognize that we are blessed and we are meant to use those blessings to help others.

The best way to practice gratitude this Thanksgiving season? Pay attention to what you are paying attention to, count your blessings, and bless others. The result is hearts and minds that are content. A soul that is at peace and can rest.

This Thanksgiving you may want to take action on one of these three steps. I trust that as you do – God will meet you there. And he will help you grow further in your relationship with him.

Happy Thanksgiving!

-Pastor John

PS – that milling machine is well over $3,000. So, I won’t be buying it anytime soon.
Plus, I have no idea what I’d do with it! :)