The Thanksgiving Key

When I was a boy, I cared for a neighbors' dog when they were out of town. To get to the food and supplies, I needed to find the key, strategically hidden under a rock. The thing is, anyone could have found the key but, they needed to know to look for it.

Scripture holds some keys for us. Some are hard to find while others are hidden in plain sight. The thing is, most of the time, we are not looking for them. We are looking for information to gain knowledge or, we are looking for easy unconditional promises God makes for us, so we forget to look for a key. Such a key is gratitude.

In our search for peace, we can easily overlook gratitude as a key. Jesus' words were true when he said he gives us peace, not as the world gives, but peace that lasts, peace without lethal addiction and, peace without conditions. If someone gives you a new house and hands you the key, in what way is using the key a condition for having the house? Rather, the key is the means for entering in to abide and live and spill and do all the things that make a house your home. Giving thanks is such a key. The Apostle Paul puts it this way:

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7New International Version (NIV)

These verses are great examples of how we can get stuck and forget to look for keys. Many people (I have been one) look no further than the first phrase and, they turn it into a rule: "Be anxious about nothing." So your boss calls you into a mandatory one-on-one meeting or, your wife calls you from the emergency room, or your son is in an automobile crash with no details available and you feel like such a sinner because, here you are, anxious.

Take a deep breath and read the rest of the sentence. It says to take everything, every situation to God. Not only that, but bring along thanksgiving. Thanksgiving? What an unlikely response in fear inducing situations. A key, hidden in plain sight, that opens the door to peace that transcends all understanding.

By turning to gratitude, we honor God and, we shift our focus--to his goodness, to his faithfulness, to his character, to his promises. Like the child who wakes from a nightmare and cries out for Daddy, cradled in his arms we hear him say, "I have you. Don't be afraid." In that context "be anxious in nothing" takes on a whole new meaning. It is not about a rule, it is about relationship with the Faithful One who will never leave you or forsake you (even when your emotions say the opposite).

It has been said that in the Bible, thanksgiving always precedes a miracle. Read the story of Lazarus again and find the key of thanksgiving, hidden in plain sight. It was there all the time. We just weren't looking for it there.

And Be Thankful

It appears almost as an afterthought. It is one of those points you wish you could ask him to clarify: Why there? Paul has just reminded the Colossians to clothe themselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving just as the Lord forgave them. Over all these virtues they are to put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. They are to let the peace of Christ rule in their hearts (for they were called to peace). And there it is, a three word sentence: “And be thankful.” Col. 3:15

It is not the only time Paul linked gratitude to peace. In his letter to the Philippians, he reminded them:

“Do not be anxious (do not go on being anxious), but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:6 (parentheses mine).
The Holy Spirit inspired these appearances of thankfulness (gratitude) and peace in the same context for good reasons. In the Philippians passage, Paul elaborates that when their minds dwell in the place where they are focused on things that are right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy, and act accordingly, the God of peace will be with them. Of course, God’s presence in our lives is not contingent upon our behaviors, or even our attitudes. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. Paul is here underlining the fact that our God is a God of peace, and when our hearts are aligned with his heart, we are unified with him in intent and purpose. What a place to be!

The reverse point is worth visiting. When we are dwelling on the negative, focusing on the things that are wrong, impure, ugly, disreputable, gossip-worthy, etc., there is no room for the peace of Christ. We are not “with” the God of peace. We are working at cross-purposes with him. In this sense, we are not “with” him. We are against him.

No wonder negativity drains us so! Our minds, hearts, souls and spirits are not working in accordance with the heart of God. You can only move a refrigerator so far from its power source before it becomes unplugged. Similarly, when we dwell in the negative and drink in the dark, we can unplug ourselves from the empowering Spirit; he will not enable us to do the things that are not in accordance with his will. And that is an exhausting place to live. The negative ripple effect can devastate our horizontal relationships as well. Whatever is not of the Spirit is of flesh. Life in the flesh is selfishness, and the fruits of selfishness are disharmony, separation and resentment.

The three word phrase, “And be thankful,” is no accident. Paul did not add it as an afterthought as if to say, “Oh yeah, remember to thank God,” before moving on to more pressing matters; not at all. He was slipping us an important key. One of the main ways we can let (God is a gentleman; we have a choice) the peace of Christ rule in our hearts, is to be thankful.

Whatever is happening in your life right now, it’s a pretty fair bet it is a mixed hand. You are probably looking at some good cards and some… you would rather trade in. It’s not that the “bad cards” are not there. It’s that we are so easily focused on them that we can forget to play our hand constructively.

Remember where you have come from, and who has brought you this far. Remember where you are going. To say that, if you are redeemed through faith in Christ, your future is bright is a laughable understatement! Someday, sooner than we think, the negatives will be wiped away. The things that are right, pure, lovely, excellent, and praiseworthy will endure forever. And you will live in his loving presence forever. Dwell on these things. And be thankful.