There are saints known for their gratefulness. In scripture, you’ll see that Daniel had a habit of giving thanks to God three times a day (Daniel 6:10) and the Apostle Paul’s epistles are full of instructions to give thanks and include thank you letters to other believers right within them. I think of Christian leaders and theologians who went before us, including Charles Spurgeon, who said, “May gratitude to God permeate my entire life,” and Deitrich Bonhoeffer, “It is only with gratitude that life becomes rich!“
What is most interesting is that these thanks-givers were not posting their grateful thoughts from a cottage dock at sunset. Their gratitude was not motivated by a luxurious or easy life. Rather, they suffered immensely. Daniel lived his life in exile; Paul was jailed, tortured, and faced continual adversity; Spurgeon had episodes of deep depression; Bonhoeffer was imprisoned (accused of plotting to kill Hitler). You may not expect gratitude to be a prevalent theme from those who faced such hardship. And we can’t say that hardship is what caused them to be grateful. There are plenty of people who suffer and it does not automatically translate to gratitude. We might even say they have every right to complain.
It is worth examining the lives of saints known for their gratefulness. A couple modern-day saints come to my mind, who exude gratitude in everyday life, including my mentor, who “takes joy seriously.” The common denominator, whether historical or current, is a deep and abiding trust in the Lord. It’s not simply that they’ve been through some things, it’s that the Lord has been proven through them. Their relationship with and reliance upon the Lord have stood the tests of difficulty and time. They have known God’s goodness, not just seasonally, but “in everything” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
Is it possible to, like Daniel or Paul, Spurgeon or Bonhoeffer, build such discipline of giving thanks amid our own adversity? Have you known God’s faithfulness in a season that would help you receive it more readily when difficulties come? How might we become saints known for our gratefulness?
Gratefulness Challenge: Who is someone you know who seems to live a “grateful life,” who gives thanks to God at all times, not just when things are going well? What about them is attractive to you and others? Pray a prayer of thanks to God for their example and list the ways their grateful living inspires you. Find time to write and send them a note of thanks for their example.
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In Everything 