READJUSTING OUR ATTITUDE

 Praise the Lord. O my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name.

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and for get not all his benefits

Psalm 103:1-2

                As we approach Thanksgiving this Thursday, it is a good time to stop and reflect upon all of the blessings that we enjoy; and too often take for granted.

                The truth is, we are not naturally thankful. We are naturally the opposite. We are more often ungrateful for what we have, complaining about what we don’t have. Those of us who live in America are blessed far beyond what the majority of the world experiences. Yet, we fail to be thankful for these blessings. Instead, we are constantly in a state of discontent and complaint. We think of ourselves poor, when by world standards we are rich. We think of ourselves are deprived, when in reality we have access to more than most of the world. This is all fostered by the contentious world in which we find ourselves. We are being told every day that we don’t have what we deserve and that we are victims of some conspiracy to deprive us of our rights. It is time to stop and do an attitude adjustment.

                Let’s start with the basics. Last night I slept in a bed inside of a warm house. Currently there are 26 million refuges in the world, most of which are living in tents and sleeping on the ground or folding cots.

                This morning I took a hot shower and brushed my teeth with safe water. Many people in our world do not have access to safe drinking water, nor do they have the luxury of taking a shower every morning.

                This morning I selected clothes to wear out of a closet filled with shirts and pants. I know a man who has only two sets of clothes to his name.

                This morning I got up and had breakfast and made a sandwich for my lunch. According the Feeding America, 50 million people in America have experienced hunger and food insecurity this year.

                Today I got in my car and drove from Whitehall, MI to Grand Rapids, MI. The vast majority of people in the world can not afford to own a car. In many places it is not safe to drive the distance I drove this morning. In many places in the world the roads are dirt not pavement.

                Today I will not live in fear of a bomb dropping on my house. I will not live in fear of an army overrunning my town. In places like Ukraine, both of those threats are a daily reality.  

                Recently, I had the privilege to vote in a safe orderly election. This is not true for millions upon millions of people in our world.

                Recently, I was able to go to Walgreens and get my prescription refilled. According to the United Nations, half of the world’s population does not have access to basic health care.

                As I write these words, I am connected to the internet. According to the United Nations, 1.1 billion people in the world do not have such access. In addition, in many countries an individual’s access to the internet is controlled and restricted by the government.

                This past Sunday I had the privilege of joining with a group of people for worship in a church building. I had the freedom to preach from the Word of God. There are places in our world where this is a capital offense.

                It is time that we readjusted our thankfulness meter. As David says in Psalm 103, “Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” All of the things we complain about pale in comparison to the abundant blessings that we receive from God. The greatest blessing of all is salvation through Jesus Christ and a renewed relationship with God.

                Paul challenges us to go from complaining to thankfulness and contentment in Christ.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, 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 your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.
Philippians 4:4-8 (NIV)

                No matter what our circumstances currently are, we have a multitude of reasons to be thankful. This Thanksgiving, let us readjust our attitude away from complaining and toward praise and thanks to God for all that He has given us.

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (NIV)