Gratitude

 Biblically, thanksgiving is understood as an offering or a confession. Confession, especially in the Old Testament context, is not just about telling someone your sin. Rather, it is a proclamation or an agreement that something is true. 

For instance, when confessing a sin (e.g. James 5:16), we are agreeing with God on what sin is. We are proclaiming His holiness and our sin, and that we need the blood of Christ to make us right with Him. If we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord (Romans 10:9), we are agreeing with God that He is Lord over all, and proclaiming that we submit to Him as Lord over all. 

In the same way, when we give thanks to God, we are proclaiming that He is good and has done good things for us. We are agreeing with Him that we depend on Him, and that He has been kind to us in ways we could never deserve or earn. 

Gratitude is a repeated command (44 times!) in Scripture:

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. (Psalm 136:1)

And a lifestyle of thankfulness to God, along with joy and unceasing prayer, is the will of God for all of us! 

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

Is it any surprise, then, that scientists and doctors continue to discover new health benefits to living a life full of thanksgiving, such as emotional health, better sleep, reducing depression and anxiety, and heart health? Seems as though Paul was onto something, probably because he got his information from the One who created us Himself. 

Gratitude is a vital part of our health as leaders in our respective homes, communities, ministries, and churches. It presents us with an opportunity not only to acknowledge our dependency on God, but to experience His work in our lives more fully! The more we exercise our “gratitude muscles,” the more we train ourselves to recognize His provision and deliverance for us in real time. 

True thanksgiving, however, is more than just saying “thank you” because it’s what we ought to do to be polite. True thanksgiving flows out of a deep, profound experience of the goodness and love of God. When we turn to Him and really look at Him, loving and enjoying Him, the most natural response will be worship and thanksgiving! 

Gratitude also strengthens our connection to our community. Whenever we express thanks to someone, we are simultaneously recognizing our need and desire for their help, and that their kindness means a lot to us. This increases trust in one another, and helps us to grow in character qualities like humility, joy, and kindness ourselves. 

It’s easy for us to forget gratitude, often out of laziness, self-reliance, or busyness. We rush through our days thinking little about how much we really depend on God and other people, or about how much kindness and grace we really receive on a daily basis. 

How then can we grow in gratitude?

A Design for Thankfulness

As we’ve been discussing recently here on Healthy Leaders, this is a great opportunity to practice simple design!

We already have a clearly defined goal: to grow in gratitude. Now let’s put together a few simple, Four-Dynamic ways we can do this (with help from our handy Dynamics of Transformation Chart).