Living on Purpose: Taking a moment to appreciate our blessings

The year has flown by and now Thanksgiving is here. I hope you have a meaningful Thanksgiving with family and friends. The election is over, basketball is starting, and the sentimental feelings of fall have turned into the blah of winter. Many already have their Christmas trees up, and this week delicious turkeys will be the centerpiece of our tables. Actually, our celebration to give thanks was created in the United States in 1863, as President Abraham Lincoln wanted to promote unity and for all Americans to show their gratitude to God. Thanksgiving eventually became a national holiday in 1941, but what about counting our blessings every day?

Last week, we had another successful holiday food drive at the County Fire District where I’ve been chaplain since 2012. Through generous contributions, volunteers help organize and coordinate boxes of food and a turkey to hundreds of families in our community every Thanksgiving. It’s a large operation and a great ministry for families who could use a blessing. Amid the distribution activities, a man who’s been having a hard time lately started sharing with me. I guess you could say he’s given up on life and has become bitter. It breaks my heart to see people struggling with depression and who believe their problems are hopeless.

As a minister and counselor, I’ve learned that we cannot get into another person’s head and replace their contaminated thinking with optimism and hope. We can speak words of life and faith, we can show them Bible promises, we can pray for them, and even refer them to a psychologist, but everyone must realize some very crucial realities. When someone becomes serious about changing their situation, they must develop a passion to allow God to renew their mind. If they are not willing to see how God has already blessed them, while refusing to help themselves, they will continue in a dark and destructive cycle. Since the mind is everyone’s battlefield for control, understanding who we are in Christ and our responsibility to obey Him should be a constant priority.

Yes, we all go through a difficult seasons from to time, but instead of agreeing with the voices of gloom and doom, the best option is to listen, absorb, and comprehend God’s viewpoint within our thoughts. I’m not referring to a wishy-washy happiness or a cranberry holiday, I’m talking about a lifestyle of spiritual contentment and peace that passes all understanding. Even science proves that being thankful improves our physical and mental health, increases empathy, reduces aggression, improves sleep, helps with self-esteem and bolsters our fortitude. We can all use more of that. Could we venture to say those who express sincere gratitude have less stress and sadness than those who do not? I say yes.

According to a 2014 Pew Research study about how often participants felt an attitude of gratitude, there was a 22 percent difference between Christians and non-Christians. What does this reveal? It gives us a hint that a personal relationship with God plays a vital role in how sincerely thankful we are. Even beyond our awareness of His blessings, Christians invest time communicating with the one who created everything and everyone. How much more confidence and security could we possibly have? You see, the Bible is not just another book, as God’s word has divine authority to transform our miserable thinking into a positive and faith-filled powerhouse! When we choose to interpret life according to His will, we are excited to praise and worship Him for who He is.

I Thessalonians 5:18 is not a suggestion, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Jesus Christ concerning you.” It’s easy to fall into a pity party because we do not have what we want, without considering what we already have. Some are proud of their intelligence, creativity, and accomplishments, but instead of being grateful and giving God all the glory, they are always ready to take a bow and receive the honor and adoration for themselves. The man who was angry and sad that I mentioned earlier, never once mentioned being thankful for God’s grace, having a nice home, a good wife, being healthy, a successful business and talents, accomplished children and beautiful grandchildren, and so on. Unfortunately, he is clearly being distracted by the enemy who tries to convince all of us we are defeated. We are not likely to appreciate the wonders of God’s love if we do not acknowledge His constant mercy.