“In everything give thanks.…”

The apostle Paul’s simple exhortation is easy enough to understand but often found difficult to practice, especially when we’re faced with suffering or setbacks to our health, our finances, our work, or a relationship that’s become strained.

However, Paul’s exhortation is followed by a word of explanation: “for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (I Thessalonians 5:18)

Preoccupation with ourselves and our problems, real or perceived, is perhaps the greatest obstacle we face in trying to maintain an attitude of gratitude. How can we possess a genuinely thankful spirit amidst the trials and adversity that come our way? If it’s God’s will that we be thankful in every circumstance we face, He must also provide the means for us to accomplish it.

And He has.

One of these means is found in the epistle to the Hebrews: “Let your conduct [manner of life] be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5)

Contentment with what we have means that we refuse to capitulate to envy, jealousy, greed, or a host of other mental attitude sins that wreak havoc on our spiritual lives, keep us from enjoying our fellowship with God, and strain our enjoyment of the people and things with which He has provided us.

Paul taught his disciple Timothy, who would himself be in the position of teaching other Christians, about the importance of contentment, when he wrote: “But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” (I Timothy 6:6-10)

Sometimes, great suffering can produce great words of comfort. For most of the 44 years of his life, the author Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) lived with chronic pain and illness. Yet his famous novels, like Treasure Island and Kidnapped, along with the poems he penned for children, have delighted countless millions over the past century and a half. Despite the misery he faced—or maybe because of it— Stevenson was able to offer the following words of advice.

How to Be Happy

• Make up your mind to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in simple things.
• Make the best of your circumstances. No one has everything, and everyone has something of sorrow intermingled with gladness of life. The trick is to make the laughter outweigh the tears.
• Don’t take yourself too seriously. Don’t think that somehow you should be protected from misfortune that befalls other people.
• You can’t please everybody. Don’t let criticism worry you.
• Don’t let your neighbor set your standards. Be yourself.
• Do the things you enjoy doing but stay out of debt.
• Never borrow trouble. Imaginary things are harder to bear than real ones.
• Since hate poisons the soul, do not cherish jealousy, enmity, grudges. Avoid people who make you unhappy.
• Have many interests. If you can’t travel, read about new places.
• Don’t hold post-mortems. Don’t spend your time brooding over sorrows or mistakes. Don’t be one who never gets over things.
• Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.
• Keep busy at something. A busy person never has time to be unhappy.

A contemporary of Stevenson’s, a Methodist minister named Johnson Oatman, Jr. (1856-1922), is credited with writing over 5000 hymns, among them one that is often sung in the church I attend, Count Your Blessings. It offers some great practical advice for the individual faced with adversity or suffering:

1.  When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
   When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
   Count your many blessings name them one by one,
   And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

(CHORUS) Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
      And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

•  Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
  Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
  Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
  And you will be singing as the days go by.

•  When you look at others with their lands and gold,
  Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold.
  Count your many blessings, money cannot buy
  Your reward in heaven, nor your Lord on high.

•  So amid the conflict, whether great or small,
  Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
  Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
  Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

For many years, I have found it helpful to keep a prayer list, so that I’m not having to rely solely on my memory. There are more people and issues on that list than I could readily summon to mind without it. At some point, I decided to transfer my paper list to the Notes app on my phone, which makes it easier to update and add to it as needed.  There are categories for family, friends, my pastor and fellow believers, the sick, those with special needs, our nation and leaders, first responders, etc., etc.  It’s grown into a very long list, but even longer is the section that follows the people and things I pray about; it reads: “Answers,” and it contains the date and a short description of the answer. After all, it’s these answers we receive that give meaning to our prayers and provide additional encouragement and motivation to continue to pray. I don’t review this last section as often as I should, but when I do take the time to review all the answers the Lord has graciously provided—not always congruent with my petition at the time, but always perfect in the end—it makes me deeply thankful for what God has done.

And remembering what God has done is really the essence of thanksgiving. Eucharistia, the Koine Greek word translated as “thanksgiving” in our English Bibles, is closely related to one of the synonyms we use for the Lord’s Supper, eucharist. Ordained by our Lord on the night before His crucifixion, as He celebrated the last Passover feast with His disciples, this ordinance has been observed by Christians ever since, to commemorate the impeccable Person and atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, as He paid the penalty for the sins of all mankind past, present, and future. As He said, “This do in remembrance of Me.”

As Christians, we have so much to be thankful for every day, every hour, every moment. And if we pause the merry-go-round of our daily lives long enough to turn our attention toward God and all that He has done for us (and continues to do for us) we will find it much easier to send up a prayer of genuine thanksgiving.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,

And into His courts with praise.

Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.

For the Lord is good;

His mercy is everlasting,

And His truth endures to all generations.  (Psalm 100:4-5)