A Posture of Thanksgiving Can Redefine Our Thoughts

Every day, invasions occur at the borders of our hearts and minds. There is a never-ending battle for our time and attention. Social media was created to connect people online, but it now possesses the power to break and damage our association with contentment. It’s the breeding ground for envy and comparison to spread to the vulnerable places within us.

We always want more. Need more. Desire more. Just enough is never enough.

The things, people, and experiences we desperately want are typically conceived after exposure to someone else’s reality. If we come across a post that someone went on an exotic trip internationally, we immediately wonder how we can logistically afford a similar vacation. If we see someone with a new, top-of-the-line vehicle, we start to make excuses for needing an upgrade ourselves, even if our car is in good condition.

The algorithm must know that my greatest longing is to fall in love because I’m constantly being recommended marriage highlights and “How We Met” videos. As much as I would love to have the self-assurance to watch endless wedding footage and be happy for all the people on their “big day,” that’s not usually how I feel. I inevitably end up having to fight doubts surrounding my self-image and overthink my singleness. 

I know myself well enough to realize what’s healthy input and what’s not. I don’t typically crave social media anymore and have since deleted all the apps from my phone. It’s a personal choice that I’ve decided to make, but it’s had an altering effect on my mentality. My focus isn’t pulled in a million directions. I’m more present with the people around me. I choose to protect my mind from becoming bruised by the online world.

I value my time, and I’m not okay with selling it to advertisers simply so they can show me another thing I don’t have or another place I haven’t been. I believe this is the origin of the ingratitude that has poisoned my generation.

In the past year, I’ve gone on a personal journey to be content with what I have and release the desire for more. I’ve found that I’m never in short supply of things to be thankful for. Daily gratitude has dismantled envy and jealousy’s stronghold in my life. I’ve taught myself to approach feelings of emptiness and lack with praise for God’s overflow and abundance. My life doesn’t necessarily contain more things or people than last year, but I’m filled with a restless need for Thanksgiving. 

I have lungs to breathe. I have legs that grant me the freedom to run. I have family and friends who love me and who I get to love back. I have a roof over my head and a bed to sleep in at night. I have food in my fridge and an incessant amount of options at any grocery store or restaurant I walk into.

In I Thessalonians 5:18, we are told to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

Trials and tribulations can sometimes lead our joy and thanksgiving into isolation. We pack away our gratitude for after the storm passes. But there is freedom in the ability to stay thankful during challenges. Gratitude anchors our realities in the light and goodness that can only come from God.

In Acts 16, starting in verse 19, Paul and Silas are imprisoned by Roman magistrates. Even though they must endure torment and affliction, their thanksgiving doesn’t waver while locked up. In verse 25, “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.”

We can’t afford to miss opportunities to praise God and share the gospel just because we’re walking through difficulty. God’s mighty works and power don’t take intermission between the peaks of life. If God doesn’t pause in the valleys, then neither should we.

Starting back in verse 26, “Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. All the prison doors flew open at once, and everyone’s chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! We are all here!” 29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in, and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 He brought them out and asked, “What must I do to be saved?”

If Paul and Silas had complained about their circumstances and waited until God delivered them from their bleak situation, a sinner’s salvation would have stayed hanging in the balance. But by remaining steadfast in blessing God through the darkness, Paul and Silas were able to baptize the jailer and his entire household before being set free by the magistrates.

When we exist in a posture of thankfulness, we are equipped with the strength to find joy and peace in whatever we face. The best way to stay grateful is to focus on God’s goodness. If God has allowed this chapter of suffering to touch our lives, we can rest assured that He will get us to the other side.

In Isaiah 26:3,

“You will keep in perfect peace

    those whose minds are steadfast,

    because they trust in you”

When we don’t guard our minds from the distractions of this world, we deviate from the focal point of God’s stillness. We’re always invited into a peace that exists within praise and a grace that chases after us when we lead with gratitude.

If we take the time to focus on everything we have instead of everything that we don’t, we no longer approach our lives from a place of scarcity. God isn’t just a provider of enough. He’s a perfect Father who gives us everything. He showers us with gifts and places breath in our lungs. He sent His Son down to earth to live the human experience so He could know our suffering when it comes.

Once we realize that we don’t exist to receive blessings from the Lord but to bless Him, we can walk in the fullness of what God has for us despite what gets thrown our way.