by Linzy Slayden
Outlook has a great deal to do with outcome. If our attitudes are wrong, no doubt everything else will also be wrong! The person who is in the habit of complaining will always find something to complain about, even when things are improving.
Perhaps this is one reason why thanksgiving is given such a prominent place in the Word of God. It seems strange that God should have to remind us — even command us — to be thankful! You would think that spontaneous appreciation and praise would be natural and a normal thing for us to do. But that is not the case!
I would like to suggest that thanksgiving is far more than duty, or even privilege. It is great spiritual therapy. It is like medicine. When we get into the habit of praising God for His goodness, we find ourselves overcoming many issues that plague the Christian.
Praise is a great antidote to pride. We all know the problems that pride creates in our lives. When we are proud, we are always right; and when we are always right, everybody else is always wrong and the result is conflict. Pride makes us defensive and hard to work with, critical and impatient. Pride encourages us to hold grudges and avoid apologies. But thanksgiving can overcome all of that.
Thanksgiving helps us deal with worry. I know, some of you never “worry” you are just “burdened” or “concerned.” Everything in nature trusts God and rejoices, except men and women made in the image of God. It is not likely that the birds will die of ulcers or lose sleep fretting about their next day’s food. Only human beings are foolish enough to do that. It is good to pray about the problems that concern us; but it is also great to give thanks for all the blessings we enjoy. Instead of complaining about what we don’t have, let’s be grateful for what we do have!
Thanksgiving helps us with discouragement. Nothing weakens and defeats the work of the Lord like discouragement. It spreads; it infects people; it gives Satan a foothold. But when we start to praise the Lord, it gives God opportunity to work in our lives. Discouragement paralyzes a person, but praise has a way of setting us free.
I felt the good medicine of thanksgiving at the recent May BBFI meeting. I was encouraged and thankful for what was happening in our Fellowship. Every sermon was powerful, the music was wonderful, the mission emphasis again reminded us of the great need of this world, and we were emphasizing world evangelism, church planting, and missions. I saw lots of smiles and lots of handshaking and many positive elements that reminded us why we were there in the first place.
Complaining people are usually unstable in the storms of life; but thankful people are not only rooted and able to stand, but the trials that defeat others actually build them up.
Let’s be rooted in the medicine of thanksgiving and be reminded of the old medicine ad that declared, “It’s good for what ails you!”