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THE THEOLOGY OF THANKS
Just a few weeks after their miraculous deliverance from Egypt, the Israelites started complaining about the manna. If I remember correctly, manna was a miracle. The Israelites were literally complaining about a miracle! Unbelievable, right? Not so fast. We fall into the same trap. Isn’t marriage miraculous? True friendship? Children? The human body? The human mind? I bet you’ve filed a few complaints about each of those.
The Israelites said, “We remember the fish we ate freely in Egypt and without cost, the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic” (Numbers 11:5) Seriously? It was free because you weren’t.
Israel’s problem—our problem—is selective memory. We don’t see the world as it is. We see the world as we are.
If you’re looking for something to complain about, you’ll always find it. If you’re looking for something to give thanks for, you’ll always find it. And your words—be they words of complaint or gratitude—will create your interior world.
If you want to move from languishing to flourishing, there are no easy answers. And there are no quick fixes. But this I know for sure: You won’t get there without gratitude. You can’t control your circumstances, but you can control your response.
As I see it, we live at the intersection of two realities. The faithfulness of God is pursuing us from the past. As the psalmist writes, “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.” And the sovereignty of God is setting us up for the future—the best is yet to come. “We are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God has prepared in advance” (Ephesians 2:10). Simply put, God’s got this. God’s got you.
I can’t promise that gratitude will cure whatever ails you, but it’s a good place to start. Gratitude isn’t getting what you want; it’s appreciating what you have. And it can reduce stress, resolve conflict, and reverse aging. Maybe Ponce de León was looking in the wrong place! The fountain of youth isn’t a place. It’s the attitude of gratitude.
So what are you waiting for?
Spend time thanking God for the good things in your life. Are there any miracles you’ve been complaining about? Is there anything you’re taking for granted? Is there something you need to applaud God for?
We hope this plan encouraged you. Learn more about Please, Sorry, Thanks by Mark Batterson here.
About this Plan
There’s a reason we teach kids that please, sorry, and thanks are magic words. They can work wonders. Nothing opens doors like please. Nothing mends fences like sorry. Nothing builds bridges like thanks. This week we’re going to look at how God can use these three powerful words to bring healing and hope to our own spirits and to the lives of those around us.
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