Death to Thankfulness

The season of thanksgiving has come upon us once again. As I reflect on being thankful I’m immediately reminded of all that God has done for me. I think about how God has allowed me to wake up each morning and how He has kept a roof over my head through perilous times. I think about how He has protected me from danger seen and unseen and most importantly how He has kept my mind when I thought I would lose it!

God has done so much for me that I can’t help but be thankful, not just at Thanksgiving but every day! Unfortunately, thankfulness can be easily eradicated when we participate in the following:

-Complaining

-Comparing

You can’t complain and be thankful in the same breath. When we complain about our circumstances or life occurrences, we are focusing more on our problem than the One who can solve the problem. Complaining takes our focus off of God and this is not a good place to be. Complaining keeps you in a place that is negative, dark and sad because it narrows your view of God’s presence even in not so good times. God says “I am always with you, I am your God, I will strengthen you and help you” (Isaiah 41:10). This isn’t conditional, this means God is with us in good times, bad times, uncomfortable times and always! Complaining is detrimental to your spiritual growth and overall well-being.

Comparing combats thankfulness in that it shifts your focus to your flaws or shortcomings. We should be grateful to God for how He created us, how He wired us, and for where He has us placed at this very moment. When we compare our lives to others, our abilities to others, and our situations to others we take our focus off the One who is in total control. This is truly a trick of the enemy because in our comparisons, we don’t have all of the external factors and facts to make a worthwhile comparison. It also produces a spirit of jealousy that is not pleasing to God. Jay-Z said, “What, you mad cause you push dimes and he sell weight? Y’all don’t’ know my expenses, I gotta buy bigger plates…and more baggies – why you all aggie?” (Heart of the City). Point here, you don’t know all of what people go through to be where they are, so comparison is death to thankfulness.

Complaining and Comparing cannot co-exist with a thankful heart and thankful speech. They are unable to cohabitate and be roommates! A known fact is that life is hard; but a hard reality is that it can always be worse. The truth of the matter is that there is someone right now, praying for the life you have, the one that you sometimes complain about or the one you sometimes foolishly compare to someone else’s life.

Be thankful in this season and always for where God has you now! God is constantly at work behind the scenes, interceding on your behalf!

Happy Thanksgiving to the Girrrl Stop Nation, I pray you all have a wonderful time with family and friends during this holiday season!

Give thanks with a grateful heart

Give thanks to the Holy One

Give thanks cuz He has given Jesus Christ, His Son

And now, let the weak say I am strong

Let the poor say I am rich

Because of what the Lord has done for us

Give thanks!