Peace in PoliticsSample

Gratitude

It happens every election season.

In an attempt to showcase the strength and value of a particular political party or ideology, people work tirelessly to elevate all of the dysfunctions and weaknesses of the opposing party. Everything that’s wrong with our leaders, nation, and world is put on display in an attempt to sway the masses toward a specific way of thinking and voting.

There can be real value in highlighting the problems our nation faces, especially when the intent is to have honest conversations and respectful debates that lead toward positive change. But what we often see is behavior and rhetoric intended to tear others down and create feelings of fear and discontent for the sake of political gain. If we are going to walk as kingdom-minded believers, we must utilize a powerful tool to combat the negativity and judgmentalism that we may encounter—gratitude.

Short-term memory

Gratitude seems to be one of the most challenging lessons for my children. When a sibling “borrows” a toy, it’s as if the world has come to an end. And when offering our kids a new toy or a fun family outing, the excitement is always short-lived. Within minutes, it’s as if the new toy turns ancient and the outing becomes a distant memory. Holding on to gratitude is hard.

If we’re honest, we (adults) aren’t much better than my young kids. The goodness and faithfulness of God are quickly buried by our latest disappointments or concerns. God’s track record of provision is put into question over and over.

It is a recurring and consistent issue we find over the history of humanity. We see it with Adam and Eve as they question if God is holding out on them. We see it with the Israelites as they doubt God’s provision. And I see it in my heart as I wonder if God is really going to take care of me this year.

The beautiful thing about gratitude is that it reminds us of God’s character. It reminds us that he loves us, and he promises to take care of us.

The power of gratitude

Gratitude is powerful. It’s like a potent antidote to the negative thoughts that creep into our minds during periods of stress and fear. It’s light in darkness and hope in struggle. It lifts our eyes from our tumultuous circumstances toward our generous and loving Creator.

But gratitude doesn’t happen accidentally. We’ve already established our own innate tendency to forget. Then, top that with an unpredictable future and a large dose of bitter politics, and the last thing we feel like doing is giving thanks. But let’s look at this instruction from Paul in Philippians:

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

—Philippians 4:6–7

We looked at this verse in our discussion surrounding prayer. Now, let’s look at it in the context of gratitude. Notice how the encouraged response to anxiety is not simply coming to God with our requests. It’s making those requests from a heart of thanksgiving. Gratitude should permeate the way we pray. It reminds us of who we are praying to. And when we recognize that we are making requests to a good Father, we receive the “peace of God which passes all understanding.”

My encouragement for us in this season is to be intentional to foster a heart of gratitude. Let us recognize that even in struggle, we’ve been given incredible blessings. This doesn’t mean that we deny our pain and grief. It instead involves taking a moment in the midst of it to recognize that:

God is still faithful. He is still good. He still loves you. He will come through.

Let’s choose gratitude.