The Secret to Thankfulness & Contentment

The temperature outside is about 0 degrees and according to the weather app it supposedly feels like -19 (although as far as I'm concerned once you get to 0...seems like it all feels the same...FREEZING!) There's close to a foot of snow on the ground. The temperature inside the house is in the low 60s because the heater just can't keep up with this kind of cold. You see, I hate winter and I'm having a bit of trouble feeling thankful and content on this very cold day that sits in the middle of a very cold winter!

This unthankfulness that wells up in my heart is a problem. As a follower of Jesus, I know that I'm supposed to be thankful...all the time...in all circumstances...good or bad...hot or cold! This command...yes, it is a command, finds its way all throughout Scripture. So what do I do, sitting here bundled up, feeling most unthankful? How do we become thankful when we don't FEEL thankful? Shall I repeat over and over to myself the words, "you are feeling thankful and content today" until I feel thankful and content? (which, I think would probably take 100 years). Perhaps, if I make a list of all the good things that I have...perhaps that might help, just a little bit. Or, perhaps I should just bury myself in blankets, pop a movie in, and ignore my bad attitude hoping it will eventually go away...maybe in the summer? My question is...I KNOW I'm supposed to be thankful, I feel the weight of that on me, but how do I become thankful when I just don't have those feelings? In other words, when things are bad, how can I FEEL thankful? (because frankly, we don't have a problem being thankful when things are going our way...it's only when things aren't going well that we struggle.)

Unthankfulness in a situation like this is rather comical...it's a very lighthearted way to look at a deep problem of the heart.  We all know there are times, there are seasons in our lives when tragedy hits or when difficulty presses in and it just feels impossible to find contentment and thankfulness in our hearts. The command is still the same...in ALL things be thankful. In grief. In sorrow. In suffering. In pain. In despair. In tragedy. In loss. When we lack. In ALL things be thankful. How in the world is this possible?

If we want to understand the "secret" to being thankful and content, we need to first understand what the root sin is that is underneath ungratefulness and discontentment. It is pride. It is entitlement. It is the expectation that there is something that is owed to us...something that we deserve to have, but do not. When we feel ungrateful, we are in essence saying, I deserve more than this...I deserve better than what I have. God owes me. This is what pride looks and sounds like.

But let's look at what is at the root of a thankful and content heart. The root of thankfulness is humility. It is an understanding of the grace of God that has been lavished on us. It is the deep belief that I already have been given so much more than I deserve. I love the words to the song It Is Well, all the verses clearly articulate this truth but I especially love the words to the third verse:

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought
My sin, not in part but the whole
Is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Oh my soul!

The author of this song knows full well the importance of meditating on all that God has accomplished on our behalf in the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is in reminding ourselves of this truth...that our sins...oh the bliss of this glorious thought, our sin, not in part but ALL of it, has been nailed to the cross and we bear it no more...we no longer bear the shame of it. We no longer bear the weight of the punishment of it...we have been set free from the weight of our sin...set free from that heavy burden and reconciled to a beautiful relationship with our Creator, Savior, Lord and King. Is there anything else that we truly need? When we grasp ahold of this profound truth, thankfulness cannot help but well up in our souls. We already have been given so much more than we deserve...it is well with our souls. That is the first secret to being content and thankful...meditating on the gospel and all the implications of what has been done on our behalf.

The second "secret" is this: every longing that we have is really a longing for God. Every desire that we have is really the desire for God. Until it sinks into the very depths of our heart that it is God who is our portion...God who is our inheritance... God who is our very great reward, we will constantly be longing for lesser things. Is God your portion or is He the means that you use to get your other longings fulfilled? Is God the treasure you seek or is He the means that you use to get to other treasures?

So, when you struggle (and you will struggle) to be thankful and content, first of all
pray that God would open your eyes to all that He has done on your behalf. Meditate on the gospel. Think about it's implications to you. Remember that God has faithfully pursued you while you were dead in your sins and has raised you from death into a brand new life! Ask God to melt your heart with this truth. Ask Him to melt your heart, deepen your understanding,  and ask Him to restore to you the joy of your salvation. Pursue Him as your inheritance...as your very great reward.

When we do this, together we will be able to sing with contentment and joy in our hearts regardless of our individual circumstances:

It is well (It is well)With my soul (with my soul)It is well, it is well, with my soul.