Expanded Gratitude
By Susan Klein
“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
1Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)
Have you ever read a familiar passage of Scripture over and over again, only to have it all of a sudden pop out at you with a whole new concept?! This happened to me recently.By Susan Klein
“In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
1Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)
In the New International Version, the above verse says “give thanks in all circumstances.” I’ve read that passage many times and have always taken it to mean that even when things are not going particularly well, I should still find a reason to be thankful to my Creator, perhaps even thanking Him for the difficult circumstance that may be facing me. While this is certainly accurate thinking, as I read this verse in the King James Version, it took on another perspective for me. Notice it does not mention circumstances, but just says; in everything, give thanks. I had to pause to consider the depth of this meaning.
The word, “everything,” used above, is literally all things in their totality, but also each thing within that totality. Let me give you an example. I love to read books. It would only be natural, then, for me to thank God for books. But, considering the totality, I would have to thank Him for eyes to see the book, a brain to interpret it, hands to hold it...and so on. And I could also thank Him for the author who wrote it, and for inspiring the author and gifting her with talent to write. And, I might even thank Him for paper, and publishers, and printers, and bookstores and money to purchase the book...You get the idea!
Now, I suppose one could argue that this thankfulness could go on for hours and hours and eat up valuable time that could be spent on other things. Nevertheless, it is a useful exercise to show us that we should not take anything for granted. We must awaken each day with immediate thoughts of thankfulness for breath, and life and movement. And as we go through our day, we must embrace the mundane things like floors, and pencils and toothpaste as things for which to be thankful.
We came into this world with nothing. Everything we are and have is from our Heavenly Creator. If we take the time to specifically thank Him, even for the tiny things, it will grow in us an “attitude of expanded gratitude.” The more we thank Him who is worthy of our thanks, the more we will find to be thankful for!
GOING DEEPER:
1. Take some time to try this exercise. Think of one thing, in its totality, for which you are thankful.
FURTHER READING:
Psalm 30:12; James 1:17
Susan is a wife and mother of two. She is the Coordinator of Oakwood’s Tuesday a.m. Bible Study and one of its teachers.
