Thanksgiving: Gratitude as a Revolutionary Act

00:01 - Speaker 1 Hey there and happy Thanksgiving. So, whether you're listening on a morning walk or in a car, maybe you're going to see family chopping vegetables, like I don't know what you're doing, but I'm grateful that you've made space for this podcast today. And today I want to actually take us in a slightly different direction because, let's be honest, gratitude has become kind of a buzzword. We hear it everywhere. Be grateful, count your blessings, say thank you, and those are really good things. But in a world like ours, where entitlement is normal and taking things for granted is almost become a sport, gratitude is more than good manners. It's actually a revolutionary act. So what I'm going to do today is just kind of talk through this idea. I'm not going to interview anybody, I'm just going to share with you some thoughts and ask some questions and hopefully give you some things to think about on this amazing day, thanksgiving. So here we go and thanks so much for listening. Grateful for you. Welcome. 01:03 And for those who don't know, today is Thanksgiving, or at least this podcast is being released on Thanksgiving. So maybe you're listening to it on the actual day of the turkey and feasting and fellowship, or maybe not. But either way, glad you're here and we're actually going to try something a little bit different today. We're actually going to try something a little bit different. Today. I don't have a guest with me and instead I'm just going to go through some thoughts and some ideas about gratitude, gratefulness and kind of the revolutionary act of being thankful in and of itself. So this won't be a normal length of a podcast, but I do think that it could be valuable and I hope that some of these questions that we're going to be asking and kind of thinking about will, you know, inspire you to think deeper about Thanksgiving and about, you know, just something that I think actually we can take for granted, which is, you know, gratefulness, and it's just kind of like the world we live in, you know, is just such a rushed. We just have such a rushed and stressed existence, and even, you know, the reality is the holidays are a time when it feels like that even more. I mean, I don't, I don't know what you're feeling, but I know at my house, I mean we've got end of the year parties, we've got banquets, we've got gifts and different things to be planning for, and meals to make and decorations to put up. I mean there's just so much to do that, you know the joy of it or the excitement of it can kind of get overwhelmed and lost in all of it. But we also, you know the world is also overwhelmingly entitled, and so, you know, we feel like we deserve all these things. So in the midst of all that, gratitude just gets lost. And so the idea today, the big idea for us today, is that, in a world that takes everything for granted, that giving thanks is one of the most revolutionary things a follower of Jesus can do. So I'm going to say that again but the big idea, in a world that takes everything for granted, giving thanks is one of the most revolutionary things that a follower of Jesus can do. 03:09 And so with that in mind, you know, let's talk a little bit about the default mode of our culture, which I feel like is entitlement. It's just kind of the water that we swim in, and it's this constant, constant kind of voice saying you know you deserve more, or you deserve better, or bigger, or newer, fancier, more technologically sound like whatever the messaging is. The underlying tone is you deserve, is you deserve, and that can obviously breed a lot of entitlement in us, like oh yeah, well, I guess I do deserve more, and I, you know I do deserve bigger and better and more technologically advanced. And then obviously you multiply that by something like social media and it just fuels this, this deep dissatisfaction that we kind of walk around with. And so we're comparing ourselves to others, we're comparing ourselves to family or friends or neighbors, and eventually you just find yourself overwhelmingly dissatisfied with what you do have, and it can be difficult to be grateful because you're thinking about everything you don't have. 04:22 So again, this culture we're in I mean, even advertising and marketing are built around that message that what you have is not enough. And so, again, this is just kind of a wild thing, because as a follower of Christ, as a believer, one of our core tenets and beliefs is that when in Christ, that we not only have everything we need, but that Christ looks at us and says you are enough, you are enough. So these messages are, you know, directly opposed to each other. And again, that can be disorienting and confusing as we kind of walk around in this culture. And so then we experience this deep spiritual fallout from this entitlement, because this thing blinds us to the blessings that we already have, which are numerous, by the way. I mean, that's part of the power of counting every blessing and maybe why that seems kind of trite and whatever, but it really is powerful. 05:24 So we have numerous blessings in our life, but we're blinded to them and then that creates, and instead that creates, you know, kind of a chronic frustration, a bit of a numbness, and then even a low-grade resentment towards God. Maybe you've felt that in your life, but this just low-grade resentment that just kind of goes like man, I deserve better, I work hard, I do good things, I'm kind to people and I pay my taxes or whatever else you might say. And well, I deserve better, I'm owed, I'm owed. But gratitude is different. It kind of acknowledges that nothing is guaranteed and that we need to really work hard to be grateful. And that's why gratitude, I would say, is revolutionary. It's revolutionary. 06:19 It's again directly opposed. It interrupts the cycles that we live in. It specifically names the gifts that we do have and it puts God not ourselves back at the center of all things. So God back at the center, where he rightly belongs. And you know, when we do this right, this isn't just, you know, platitudes or a holiday, but this is real deep spiritual formation. This is the deep work of the ancient saints, and this is the deep work that we, as believers, need to be willing to engage in, because we are, you know, we're just overwhelmed with this contrary messaging. 07:05 And so the truth is is that gratitude in Scripture is an active, that's an active thing. Giving thanks is a command, it's not a suggestion. 1 Thessalonians says literally in everything, give thanks In everything. So, from top to bottom, from morning, from sunup to sundown, on your good days and your bad days, we give thanks, and I know that that can be difficult, but it's a discipline, and discipline is inherently difficult. It's supposed to be, because discipline produces something in us that is of value. And so, you know, this attitude of gratitude, if you will, is an important thing to cultivate and to nurture and to flourish you know to see flourish throughout a life. So it's an active position that we take is one of gratitude, and again, that's why I would say maybe it's revolutionary, because it is an active thing. 08:09 It's not a side dish, it's the main dish. So that's a little Thanksgiving pun for you. Gratitude is the main dish, right, but gratitude reframes reality for us too, and this is so true If you just live in a constant attitude of entitlement or undeservedness, or I deserve more than that frames a reality for you. But gratitude reframes that reality, it transforms that reality. And giving thanks is being willing to see life through God's provision, not through scarcity. So again, gratitude. 08:51 We don't have to pretend that everything's perfect. We don't have to pretend that it's fine all the time, and we don't have to pretend even that things aren't hard. Things can be unbelievably difficult and many of us have experienced weeks and months and years of difficulty. But that doesn't mean that we can't practice the discipline of gratitude. So we name God's goodness even in the midst of this imperfect life. We name His goodness even in the midst of this imperfect life. We name his goodness even in the midst of adversity and suffering, and so this trains our attention right. So when we repeatedly thank God, we repeatedly thank him, it becomes what we learn to love. 09:30 You know Jesus talks a little bit about this. Where your treasure is there, your heart will be also, as Jesus says in Matthew 6. Where your treasure is there, your heart will be also, as Jesus says in Matthew 6. Where your treasure is there, your heart will be also. So if we are training ourselves to look at the good, to be grateful, to be thankful, we will train our hearts and we'll move from what's missing in our lives to what's present in our lives. We'll move from all the things that are wrong and difficult to what's right and what's beautiful. We'll move even from the things we can't control which is, you know, shocker, 95% of things to what God has already done and to what God does control, which, by the way, is, you know, the whole cosmic universe. So again, we got to retrain and reframe our mindset and our attitude, the way we see things, and as we do that, you know, we how would I say it? But we kind of engage with this outward revolution, but it's also kind of a revolution inside ourselves, inside of ourselves. 10:36 So thankfulness and gratitude, like I said earlier, it transforms how we see, but also transforms us. It transforms us and I would say that, you know, a consistent discipline of gratitude can build an emotional resilience. So I don't want you to miss this, right, it's so important, but gratitude can help build an emotional resilience. So just think about this truth you can't be grateful and thankful and bitter at the same exact time. I mean, just try it. You can't be thankful and grateful and bitter at the same time. It's very difficult to do. So try it and just see for yourself and just think about that, right, if I'm feeling bitter, if I'm feeling angry, frustrated, maybe the antidote is thankfulness. It literally rewires our brain towards joy and peace. And I would argue, and I would again I would argue and I would encourage you to try it. But if you would practice this, you'll feel a weight lifted off of you. You'll feel differently and better. It's actually, it's amazing. So give it a try. 11:48 Gratitude also corrects what we'd call like spiritual amnesia, where it's so easy to forget the good things that God has done in our lives and it's so easy to just gloss over all that he's already accomplished. Something I personally think about all the time is I just think all the time about my family. We've never missed a meal, we've never missed a mortgage payment, and I just find that to be amazing and I don't have time to get into it. But in our own life we've experienced missed a mortgage payment, and I just find that to be amazing and I don't have time to get into it. But in our own life that we've experienced just such high highs and such low lows. I actually it's astounding to me that I can say you know, I've never missed a meal, I've never missed a mortgage payment, and to me what that means is right God's always kept a roof over our head, he's kept food on our table, and that, to me, is amazing. And so when I think about that and I practice a discipline of being grateful for that, then I correct this amnesia which can so easily set in where I forget all the good things God has done. So thanksgiving and being thankful can restore our spiritual memory, if you will, can remind us and help us to remember. Oh yeah, God does always come through, and God has been faithful before and he will be faithful again. 13:06 Gratitude also breaks the power of worry. You know, I think so much of this is about control, and worrying is a way that we control things. It's a way for us to control the world around us. It's a way to control situations, and you know our homes and our lives and our job and our relationships. But being grateful again breaks that up as well. So you can't. 13:28 It's also very hard to be. 13:29 You can't really be overly anxious and grateful at the same time. I mean again, you might give it a try, but kind of similar to being bitter. You know, it's hard to be overcome with anxiety and overcome with gratitude at the same time, because gratitude anchors us in the truth that God has been faithful and will be faithful again Again. Gratitude anchors us in this truth that God has been faithful and will be faithful again and again. That's kind of revolutionary, especially in a culture and a world that we swim in which just says all the time like no one's coming for you, no one's going to help you, no one cares about you. Well, God does. God's coming for you, God after you, God does care about you. Well, God does. God's coming for you, God after you, God does care about you. And so it's important that we try to remember that and try to have this again, this attitude that's rooted in gratefulness. 14:25 So another important fact to this whole thing is that our gratitude can really be a public witness to our faith and can shine a light on, you know, the God that we serve, the generous Christ who is overwhelmingly generous and gives us so much to be grateful for. So a thankful Christian, you know someone who kind of is steeped in that discipline of gratitude, I would say really stands out and it's I mean it's easy to identify. Because here's the deal Again. We live in a culture of sarcasm, cynicism, outrage, complaints, I mean all these things. And so in the midst of that, you know someone who's just thankful. That really stands out, you know, whatever metaphor you want to use, but you know, but a diamond against a black background really stands out, as does gratitude against a backdrop of cynicism and sarcasm, outrage, complaint, all these things. And so people notice someone who just refuses to complain but instead chooses to be grateful. 15:31 And this is definitely, even as I say this, I mean this is definitely not as easy as it sounds. It's not just like flipping a switch. It takes a lot of effort and time, but gratitude can make you a blessing to the people around you. Which man, what a discipline of thankfulness and gratitude. They lift up rooms, they speak life to others, they are uplifting, they are encouraging, they are, you know, sometimes it can be, I don't want to say nauseating, but someone who's just like, oh yeah, you know, look on the bright side like that can be difficult, but at the same time, I mean man, isn't that so important in this again, in this culture and these seasons that we're in, that can feel so such like such prolonged difficulty and prolonged adversity and suffering. Yeah, it's so great to have someone who will sit with you and just say, yeah, there is a lot to be grateful for. And this again, this kind of attitude, demonstrates such a deep trust in God. He has been faithful and he will be faithful again. And we say with our actions and our words and our lives God, I trust your character more than I trust my circumstances in our lives. God, I trust your character more than I trust my circumstances. I trust who you are and who you are in my life than I trust, even sometimes, what's going on in my life, so that, again, can be rooted in gratitude. 17:06 So here's some practical steps to join the revolution and how to practice gratitude today. So again, this is not anything flashy or amazing or whatever, but this is just good discipline and practice. So slow down for 60 seconds. Slow down for 60 seconds. Choose not to rush, choose not to scroll. You know, sometimes, speaking of scrolling, it can be so powerful just to leave your phone somewhere and cut it off and go, participate in life at the pace it was meant to be lived. That can be an amazing practice in and of itself. 17:45 But just even try this. Just thank God for one thing. Just start with one thing. You know, God, today I'm thankful Again. I'm thankful that we've never missed a meal no-transcript that you normally take for granted. Is it health? Is it relationships? Is it provision, freedom, small creature comforts? Is it sweet potatoes and marshmallows? Is it a warm cup of coffee in the morning in a home? I mean, what is it? Things that maybe are so normal that you've stopped seeing them. Maybe they're so normal that again we're taking them for granted. 18:51 And that's again part of the revolution is we're trading the things we take for granted in for gratitude. We're going to be grateful for those things and say it out loud, even if it makes you feel odd or whatever. But it can become so powerful when it's verbalized and when you just say God, thank you for this coffee, thank you for the men and women who grow it and tend it and farm it, and thank you that it made its way to my table today. Speaking of coffee, I mean I was at the thrift store and I found this little percolator thing that sits on the oven and I just love it, I love using it. It makes such good coffee that it's easy to be grateful for that every day. 19:37 And so practice that, say it out loud Thank you for this coffee, thank you for the honey that I put in my coffee and the bees that make it, and the tens of the flowers and the God that looks over all of it. And then I think this is an amazing thing as well. But text someone and tell them hey, I was thinking about you, I'm grateful for you, man. A text is so easy, it's so quick, and now you can even speak a text into your phone. You don't even have to punch any letters or emojis or anything, you can just say it right into your phone. But send someone a note hey, I'm grateful for you today. And then, lastly, phone but send someone a note hey, I'm grateful for you today. 20:17 And then, lastly, you know this idea of just choosing thankfulness even in the midst of adversity and suffering and difficulty, choosing thankfulness in the midst of that. And I say that again as someone who you know seven years ago, over Thanksgiving weekend, you know, we had a miscarriage and that was extremely difficult and it was extremely difficult to find the strength to be thankful. But again, that practice of trying and that practice of showing up and saying you know, God, I'm not doing great today, but I'm here and I want to meet with you and I'm grateful for you. You know, help me work through this, help me work through this. I mean, that is revolutionary Having gratitude in the middle of the messes and in the middle of adversity, in the middle of suffering, in the middle of chaos. You know God, I don't like this, but I know you love me. I know you're here with me. I know you've been faithful before. I know you'll be faithful again. 21:18 And so, living a life of gratitude, it is countercultural and it's powerful. It's powerful. There's no way to sugarcoat that. Of what do they say monologuing? This monologue of thought is that gratitude can be, it's powerful, it can be revolutionary. It is a rebellion against entitlement and ungratefulness. It's not just a holiday right, but if we do this right, it can really become a way of life, it can become a discipline that becomes so deeply ingrained in us that it transforms us. So it's so good when the people of God fight back against negativity, scarcity, fear, all the things, cynicism. 22:10 And so today, you know, we choose gratitude, not because life is perfect, but because God is. Not because life that's always good, but because God is Not because it's easy or whatever, but because God is with us always, and so, if you would, I'd love to kind of end our time today with just a short prayer. If you've listened this far, I want to just thank you, wish you a great. You know, if it's Thanksgiving, you're listening, but just a holiday season, and maybe, again, maybe this is a good message and a good word to pushing back against the busyness of the season and all the things that seek to overwhelm us and to step into the abundant life that God has given to us. And the way we step through that door again is with a pronouncement of gratitude God, thank you for the abundant life. So let me pray for us, Lord, thank you. In a world that just feels noisy and hurried and entitled and cynical. God, teach us the revolutionary way of gratitude. Teach us, Lord, open our eyes to your abundant gifts in our lives and open our mouths to speak praise, to worship, open our hearts to trust you more and more fully every day, and make us a people whose gratitude shines in a dark world. Make us a people whose gratitude shines in a dark world In your name, amen, amen. Hey, thanks for listening and again, happy Thanksgiving. Hope it's amazing and I just appreciate you all. Thanks for listening. It's going to be a great one. Thanks for listening. 23:52 If you've enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave a review and share it with another pastor or ministry leader who you think might benefit from this conversation. And if you're looking for more tools and resources to help you preach and lead with confidence, be sure to check out sermoncentral.com/podcast. Sermon Central is the largest online resource hub for pastors and ministry leaders. From illustrations to outlines to media, you'll find everything you need to preach and lead effectively. So check out sermoncentral.com/podcast, where you'll even find a special podcast listener discount on our membership pricing. Check it out and stay tuned for our next episode.