One week until Thanksgiving! The holiday means different things to each of us, but a few themes ring true for the majority: gatherings with friends and extended family, gourmet feasts featuring turkey and potatoes, and a time to reflect on years gone by. Some appreciate Thanksgiving for its spiritual significance; others may simply take advantage of the long weekend. Whatever angle you come from, it is valuable to understand the relevance of the holiday, as well as realizing the importance of thankfulness itself. My goal, over the next week, is to explain my thoughts on the subject, and perhaps clear a few things up in my own head in the process of searching the Bible for answers.
Today, we are thinking about the clarification of Thanksgiving. I refer here not so much to the occasion, but to the concept; what does it mean to give thanks? In my quest to answer that question, I consulted the Canadian Oxford Dictionary of 2005. This turned out to be less than a resolution, seeing how all they could do was redirect me from "thankfulness" to "gratitude" to "appreciation" and back again. In other words: "answer hazy, please try again later." However, in linking those words together, I believe we can form an operation definition. Here is what I came up with:
thankfulness (n): an attitude of feeling indebted to somebody for a service rendered or a gift received
In the Bible- especially in the book of Psalms- the idea of being thankful is closely associated with the giving of praise. They are not synonymous, but an attitude of thankfulness should lead to an offering of praise, so we can learn a bit by paying attention to passages dealing with praise.
What are the critical aspects of thanksgiving? I would point out three of them. First, there must be a giver of thanks; this is the person who has received a gift and is obliged to show appreciation. There must be a recipient of thanks; this party has provided the gift and is owed recognition. Finally, of course, there must be an identifiable gift. It may tangible, it may be financial, it may be emotional, and it may be hard to define. Whatever the scenario, something has been received and appreciated.
Most of us have received gifts at some point in our lives- large or small, obvious or subtle, formal or friendly. It may have been a desperately needed donation or a simple act of kindness. Nearly everyone has benefited from the goodwill of another at one time or another. Even in today's decrepit society, there are generally standards of some sort for how to respond when given a gift. If your parents gave you a car for your sixteenth birthday, would you grab the keys and take it for a spin without saying a word of thanks? I would certainly hope not! That would show an incredible attitude of ingratitude. It is more likely that you would take a few minutes to tell your parents how much you've been thinking about a car, express how much you appreciate the gift, and (if you're ambitious) promise to use it responsibly. If you didn't, it might give the impression that you felt you deserved the car, you cared more about the car than about them, or a host of other attitudes that would negatively affect your relationship with them. Undeniably, a thankful heart- or the lack thereof- is an important part of our character and will not fail to make its mark on how we are perceived by those around us.
Have you ever written a thank-you note? In certain scenarios, it is generally expected that gratitude should be expressed in writing; by taking the time to write a short letter, you show that you care about the one who gave the gift, rather than just spouting off a generic “thanks for that” in passing or right when the gift is received. A good thank-you note covers the following bases:
It shows recognition that a gift was received. If you feel something was owed to you rather than being given out of somebody's goodwill, you're not going to be thankful for it.
It speaks of ways in which the gift or service was enjoyed. A generic “I loved it!” does not portray an attitude of true thankfulness; mention exactly why the generosity was appreciated, what needs it met, and how it has touched your life in some way, big or small.
It seeks to bestow respect on the giver. It is important to indicate that you care more about the one who gave the gift than you do about the gift itself. The art of conveying gratitude without being flattering or flowery is one that comes with an attitude of humility and respect. Always place people before possessions.
Giving thanks can become something that is done out of habit or professional necessity. The habit itself is a good thing, but we must take care that our gratitude is not expressed in a dull, formal, staged manner. People can sense an empty “thank you” better than you might think. When you've reached this point, saying “thanks” isn't much better than saying nothing at all, because the benefactor knows you're just being polite, rather than showing true gratitude. Watch your heart! The better you maintain your humility, the more genuinely thankful you will be, and the more people will feel like their gifts are truly appreciated.
In addition, we must be careful that not to recite “thank you” speeches simply from a desire to be seen as righteous by those around us. Jesus warned against this practise in Luke 18:9-14. The passage reads:
And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: "Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: 'God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.' But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Would you rather be humble or be humbled? The choice is reasonably clear, I would say. Don't be thankful for the sake of being seen- but always be seen to be thankful! As a Christian, it is vital that I show myself to appreciate that which is given to me. Regardless of the circumstances of life, my prayer is that I never lose my attitude of gratefulness to God for what He has given me through Christ.
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2 Corinthians 9:15)
My next post will ponder the Cause of Thanksgiving. Until then,
Your brother in the faith,
-Jeremy
No comments:
Post a Comment