When you think of the characteristics of a life of faith — does thankfulness come to mind?
So much of the Christian scriptures are about giving thanks.
From Daniel, who defied the king’s law against prayer by continuing to pray three times a day, “giving thanks to his God” (Dan. 6:10), to the psalmist’s repeated refrain: “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!” (Ps. 118:1), to Paul’s encouragement: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:16-18), the scriptures form us to be a thankful people: a people who have built up the habit of paying attention to what is good, recognizing where it comes from, and saying “thank you.”
Why does thankfulness get so much attention in our tradition? Why is it so important to our lives of faith?
Psychologist Robert Emmons wrote:
Research on emotion shows that positive emotions wear off quickly. Our emotional systems like newness. They like novelty. They like change. We adapt to positive life circumstances so that before too long, the new car, the new spouse, the new house – they don’t feel so new and exciting anymore.
But gratitude makes us appreciate the value of something, and when we appreciate the value of something, we extract more benefits from it; we’re less likely to take it for granted.
In effect, I think gratitude allows us to participate more in life. We notice the positives more, and that magnifies the pleasures you get from life. Instead of adapting to goodness, we celebrate goodness. We spend so much time watching things – movies, computer screens, sports – but with gratitude we become greater participants in our lives as opposed to spectators.1
Actively paying attention to what is good and appreciating it – this is a way of being awake to our lives. Awake to the flavors of the food we taste; awake to the amazing qualities of our spouse; awake to the things we are able to do with our bodies. When we make thankfulness a practice, we realize we can do better than just “get through” life – we can live it. And God did not create us to be numb – God created us to be alive.
Thankfulness is also a way of being awake to God’s presence in our lives, because “every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father…” (James 1:17).
When we notice the good things in our lives, we remember where they come from. Maybe this includes the people who made these things possible. Always, the ultimate source is our good and generous God. To notice the good in our lives and to appreciate it is to praise God and to draw near to the one who creates it all.
– Pastor Kate
Rev. Katherine Museus and Rev. James A. Wetzstein serve as university pastors at the Chapel of the Resurrection at Valparaiso University and take turns writing weekly devotions.
1. Robert Emmons, “Why Gratitude is Good,” Greater Good Magazine: Science-Based Insights for a Meaningful Life, November 16, 2010. Quoted in Brene Brown, Atlas of the Heart, (New York: Random House, 2021), p. 213.
