The Attitude Of Gratitude

The Attitude of Gratitude

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice!

Philippians 4:4

For years I misunderstood Philippians 4:4. I thought the command was to keep a constant smile in place. But it says, “Always be full of joy in the Lord.” Not in people, not in circumstances, but in the Lord. What a difference.

Those of us who were adults in 1981 remember media accounts of the kidnapping of Chet Bitterman Jr., a missionary in Bogotá, Colombia. What most of the reports were not telling, however, was his father’s reaction. When the news first reached Chet Sr., he furiously paced his Pennsylvania home, wondering how he could rescue his son. Suddenly he heard within his spirit, Give thanks.

To give thanks was the last thing Chet Sr. wanted to do. But as he struggled with the Spirit’s direction, he realized the command was to give thanks, not feel thanks. As he wondered what he could possibly be thankful for, he remembered that his son had memorized hundreds of Scripture verses. Surely those verses are encouraging him right now, he thought, and he immediately gave thanks for the courage the Word of God was giving Chet Jr. at that very moment.

Upon further reflection, Chet Sr. added thankfulness for his son’s physical strength and emotional stability. The list grew. When young Chet’s body was found in an abandoned bus forty-eight days later, the seeds of thankfulness already sown helped his father open his heart to the comfort the Lord wanted to give.

If Chet Sr. could find something to be thankful for in the midst of his great emotional pain, surely we can too. A thankful attitude allows us to live life with joy and to rejoin life after we are handed a tough blow. Without thankfulness, we can become bitter and a drag on ourselves and everyone around us.

We’ve seen the bumper sticker saying “Develop an attitude of gratitude.” But it doesn’t tell us how. Several years ago, at a New York chapel, writer/editor Elizabeth Sherrill offered three suggestions guaranteed to make every day one of thanksgiving:

1. Every day, surprise someone with a sincere thank-you.
2. Every day, thank God for something you have never thanked him for.
3. Every day, thank God for something about which you are not now happy.

I know this third one is tough. But if we can’t thank God for the situation, we can thank him for being with us in it. That makes a world of difference. —SANDRA

Lord, thank you for your presence in tough times. Thank you for not giving up on me even when I want to give up on myself or others. Thank you that I do not pray to air but to the God who hears.

I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction I had nowhere else to go.

—ABRAHAM LINCOLN (1809–1865), SIXTEENTH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES