Gratitude: Gratitude Softens Suffering

Gratitude: Gratitude Softens Suffering

by Marilynn Chadwick "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." John 16:33 NKJV Giving thanks to God can diffuse even life's most difficult circumstances. Gratitude has a healing power all its own. I have seen this over and over in our decades of ministry as we have come alongside people during their times of trial. I've watched praise and thanksgiving rise up from those walking through the worst of tragedies—clear evidence that God is providing supernatural strength and comfort. Several years ago, I personally learned anew the value of giving thanks—this time in the trauma ward of our local hospital. I was not there as a caregiver but as a family member. My younger sister had sustained a traumatic brain injury in a fall and was fighting for her life. Some of you have walked through a similar journey. There's lots of watching, waiting, and praying at a time like this. During those nightmarish 40 days visiting the trauma unit, I decided to begin each difficult morning thanking God for what he was doing in this situation. I also began watching for evidence of his work, jotting down each little sign of hope—however tiny—in my journal. There were many. Like the kind custodian who assured me that "God was in control." Looking over at my comatose sister, he added, with conviction, "She's going to be all right." Or the beautiful chaplain with a Middle Eastern background who talked about how her family had smuggled Bibles into her closed country. What a special time of prayer we had together right there in my sister's hospital room. Or the beautiful garden I discovered behind the hospital—a nice spot to have lunch in the bright October sunshine. Then, there was the beautiful walking trail just outside the hospital; the friends who dropped by at just the right moment to pray for my sister. The list goes on. To the surprise of the medical team, my sister regained consciousness. She also retained much of her cognitive ability, though there were some physical limitations. We had a long road ahead of us. Over the next twenty-nine months, there were ups and downs, hard moments and bright moments before my sister eventually went home to heaven. But during that time, there were many reasons to have hope. Above all, I finally became assured she had accepted Jesus. And I was truly thankful. Gratitude had surely softened the suffering.

Gratitude: Praise Breaks Chains

by Marilynn Chadwick "For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12 NLT I once saw an old Tarzan movie in which the famed ape man was peering at a droplet of water through a microscope. The instrument had been brought to Africa by Jane's father, Professor Porter. Tarzan was quite shaken to see that the water he drank daily was teeming with all kinds of organisms, invisible to the naked eye. Similarly, the Bible reveals that our spiritual atmosphere is filled with unseen enemies—the real source of our spiritual battles. "For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12). I wonder how we'd react if we could catch a glimpse into the invisible heavenly places. Like Tarzan, I imagine we'd be shocked by the creatures we saw. The Bible doesn't spend a lot of time describing this spiritual realm. It does, however, give us instructions on how to do battle. We're given a detailed list of spiritual armor in Ephesians 6:10-20. Similarly, James 4:2 encourages us to "submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee." One of the most powerful weapons against the powers of darkness is the weapon of praise. Giving thanks helps us fight our spiritual foes. The New Testament is filled with examples of the power of thanksgiving. We see Paul and Silas singing and praising God in a Philippian jail—their chains fell off, the jailer accepted Jesus, and his whole family became believers! The Old Testament, too, tells stories of the power of praise: "After consulting the people, the king appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the Lord and praising him for his holy splendor. This is what they sang: 'Give thanks to the Lord; his faithful love endures forever!' At the very moment they began to sing and give praise, the Lord caused the armies of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir to start fighting among themselves" (2 Chronicles 20:21-22). Perhaps you're facing your own spiritual battle today. You've resisted, and prayed, and fought the good fight. But you're weary. This may be your strategic moment to simply thank God and praise him for his goodness. Let him fight this battle for you. Rest in his power—even if you don't fully understand how he works. Just remember: the devil and his minions hate praise. So, if you can stand firm and continue to thank God, I believe you will notice that the devil flees. After all, he is allergic to praise.

Gratitude: Practice the Habit

by Marilynn Chadwick "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 ESV I'm learning to become more intentional about being thankful. But sometimes I find myself drifting back into an attitude of discontent. So I find I must regularly renew my resolve to give thanks in everything. To make a thankful heart a permanent habit. I'm curious. Do you experience God in a fresh way when you practice gratitude? I think we'd agree that giving thanks to God is a discipline we should do every day. In that respect, it's different from the spiritual discipline of fasting. When a person comes off a fast, they gradually start eating food again. So, should we gradually allow ourselves to become grumpy again? Of course not. The Bible teaches us that giving thanks is to be a continuous mindset—much like prayer. So it makes sense that right after the Bible teaches us "to pray without ceasing," it reminds us to "give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). To form any habit, we must become fully persuaded of its value. Here are a few reasons why giving thanks is worth our best effort: 1. Giving thanks to God is a powerful counterattack to discontent. It's easier to replace grumbling or complaining with thanksgiving than to simply try to "not gripe." 2. Gratitude feeds our faith. I discovered that thanksgiving can stand up under a fiery trial. Giving thanks seemed to use less energy than praying for a specific end—this can be a good thing when you're going through a hard place. 3. Giving thanks helps us roll our burdens into God's hands, which, in turn, calms our anxious heart. Having a thankful heart makes us more aware of our surroundings and more in tune with God's blessings. We become more expectant, watching for him to show up. Giving thanks can also make us more sensitive to the needs of others—opening the door to holy conversations—a blessing in themselves. We don't have to understand all the reasons why giving thanks is a good thing in order to experience its benefits. Forming a habit of giving thanks can change both our attitude and our actions. We may discover that giving thanks is a form of worship. It connects us to the Lord and places our focus squarely upon him. And when we focus on Jesus, it changes everything.

Gratitude: How Not to Say Thank You

by Marilynn Chadwick Is it possible to offend God with the way we thank him? Apparently so—if our "thank you" comes from a self-righteous heart. Jesus told this story to a group of religious leaders who were confident in their own "goodness" and scorned everyone else: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get. "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted" (Luke 18:10-13). The two men couldn't have been more different. The Pharisee was well-bred, well-educated, and well-off. He had an impressive religious pedigree. He had arrived. The tax collector, on the other hand, was a loser. To the Jews, he was an object of scorn—a pagan Gentile. A sinner, and easy to despise. He had no social standing, no prestige, and probably not many friends. Then as now—nobody much liked a tax collector. At first glance, it looks like the Pharisee is thanking God for his many blessings. But a closer look lets us in on the real truth. His "prayer of thanks" was just a way to boast that he wasn't like those "evildoers." He probably spoke loudly enough for the tax collector to hear him. That means his thanks to God was just an announcement of his own righteousness—a reminder to everyone in his hearing that he fasted and tithed. The Greek translation of this passage sheds even more light on the true nature of this man's prayer: "The Pharisee stood and prayed like this to himself" (Luke 18:11 MOUNCE). To himself. Did you catch that? The Pharisee's prayer went no further than himself. But the tax collector was stricken by his own sinfulness. He stood at a distance—not even daring to look to heaven as he uttered, "God have mercy on me, a sinner" (v. 13). Jesus spelled it out plainly: The tax collector, not the Pharisee, went home justified—righteous before God. His prayers were heard. A few reminders as we develop a thankful heart: First, true thankfulness is always accompanied by humility. Next, none of our acts of righteousness will ever make us righteous in God's sight—we all need grace and mercy, just like the tax collector. And finally, the ground at the foot of the cross is level.

Gratitude: Grumbling or Grateful?

by Marilynn Chadwick Bless the Lord O my soul and forget not all his benefits." Psalm 103:2 ESV Thankful. Just one little word was printed in small letters across the front of the woman's t-shirt. But for some reason, it caught my attention. I think it was the period at the end of what wasn't even a sentence. Thankful. I guess you could read it this way: "Thankful, period." I would like that to be me. I'm thankful. Period. But I have to confess. Sometimes I am less than thankful. Perhaps it's because I'm not paying attention to all the blessings in my path. Or maybe I sometimes take God's benefits for granted. I was jolted out of this spiritual lethargy by something a minister from Africa once said when speaking to a church gathering. He was a genocide survivor from Burundi and had seen more death and destruction than I could comprehend. "Do you have all your arms and legs—your limbs?" he asked us. "Then you are blessed!" "Do you have your eyes, your sense of hearing, your ability to speak?" "Then praise God and give him thanks. Rejoice and count your amazing blessings!" he exclaimed. From his perspective, it was an incredible blessing simply to be alive. Healthy. Not maimed by war. Reasons to rejoice! Stop and think for a minute. Reflect on the many benefits you enjoy simply because you don't live in an area ravaged by war. Do you have all your limbs? Can you walk? Are you able to see and hear and talk? Then, as the African minister would say, "Rejoice at your great blessings!" Our congregation was deeply moved by the man's words and came alongside his organization to explore ways we could help rebuild their war-torn country. But there was a powerful, personal takeaway for me. His words made me want to become more intentional about being thankful to God each day for my many blessings. To resist complaining about petty annoyances. Next time we are tempted to grumble, let's pause and take a look at our hands and feet… and be thankful. Savor the ability to walk and see and hear. Let's be intentional to count the ways God has poured his grace upon us and "forget not all his benefits."