Are You Thankful For How God Blessed You Today?

This article originally appeared in Home School Digest, the Christian Family Discipleship Quarterly for serious homeschoolers. Each issue nearly 100 pages! Subscriptions: $18/yr. Contact: Wisdom's Gate, P.O. Box 374, Covert, MI 49043. Phone: 800-343-1943. www.homeschooldigest.com. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Young people like us are in an interesting position. We don't smoke, drink, cuss, or chew. We don't watch raunchy movies, listen to raunchy music, or tell raunchy jokes. We don't even date (or whatever you call what other folks do)! Of course, that doesn't mean we're perfect. Our flesh just tries to find other ways to satisfy its desires. One of the sins with which I struggle is discontent. That is, I'm not always thankful for how God has blessed me.

Paul told us in Philippians 4:11, "I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am" (NASB). Paul isn't talking about having spinach for supper or having to get up early to milk the goats. He's talking about being hungry and in prison. He's talking about being beaten and stoned and shipwrecked and cold. I have had an easy life. Why do I have so much trouble being thankful?

Let me share some ways in which this discontent, this ingratitude, rears its head in my life. Maybe you'll identify with these areas. As we go, we'll see what God says about my attitude, and then we'll try to identify the best medicine for an ungrateful heart.

1. "I'm 23 years old, and I'm not even betrothed."

One of the desires of my heart is to take a wife and raise children for God's glory. Haven't my parents trained me to be a good husband and father? Doesn't God want me to serve him in that way? Why must I hear about weddings of people who aren't ready for marriage (in my selfish opinion) while I'm still a bachelor? Even if I'm mature enough for marriage, how will I ever afford to build and prepare a home for my wife?

If I'm not content as an unmarried man, why should I expect to be content as a married man? Marriage is a blessed arrangement, but it brings its own set of challenges, too. Maybe I won't marry. Maybe God wants to use me in another way. If that's what he wants, who am I to grumble for something else? Even if I do marry in the future, I'm apparently not ready now. Joseph was 30 when he married, Isaac was 40, and Jacob may have been pushing 75, so I shouldn't feel too bad!

Right now I can enjoy sharing a room with my little brother. I can enjoy spending time with my sisters. I can enjoy sitting at the feet of my parents and grandfather. I can enjoy all of the familiar traditions and experiences that have kept our family going for the past two and a half decades.

I expect the girl I marry to wait patiently for me and to prepare herself to be my helper. I need patiently to prepare myself to be her protector and provider, and when the times comes, to seek her hand. Then we can begin shaping our own set of family traditions and experiences, and we can build a household of faith that continues the heritage of our fathers.

I hope to find that girl someday, but even if I don't, I can be thankful for how God has blessed me today.

2. "I don't have a 2 GHz computer."

When I first started writing this article, I was going to bemoan the fact that I didn't have an AGP slot in my computer. (AGP stands for Accelerated Graphics Port, a special slot in the computer that holds a faster graphics card.) Since my grandfather helped us upgrade to a new computer, though, my technical complaint must upgrade, too.

We have a nice new computer that should handle everything we need for some time. I don't have the coolest computer, however. Other folks have machines running at an amazing 2 GHz, but ours is a measley 1.3 GHz. Come to think of it, I don't have a lot of things that other people have. I don't have my own car. I don't have my own room. I don't have a 128-bit gaming console or an ultra-cool CD player or season tickets to see the Tennessee Titans. Poor me!

On the other hand, I don't really want any of those things. Having my own car might have advantages, but I'd rather save on expenses and ride with my family. Having my own room was nice when I had one, but I've enjoyed cuddling up to read with my brother and coming in at night to see his precious frame asleep in bed. Extra possessions and amenities can be enjoyable, but they can easily distract us from our duties, too. We can have and enjoy and use our possessions for good, but "not even when one has an abundance does his life consists of his possessions" (Luke 12:15).

When I compare myself to others, I may feel like I'm getting short changed. When, however, I think about how much I do have, I see how foolish I am. I have more stuff than I can use already! I want to use my resources wisely and not covet every new toy that comes down the pike. Maybe I'll get a faster computer someday, but even if I don't, I can be thankful for how God has blessed me today.

3. "I'm tired of being good all the time."

Since I want to follow Jesus, I have to be careful about what I say. I have to be careful about what I think. I have to be careful about how I interact with other people. I have to be careful about how I spend my time and my money. I have to be careful about how I dress, how I drive, how I work, and how I play. I have to be careful about what I watch, what I hear, and what I read. I even have to be careful about how I eat and sleep so I can keep my body in good condition. Whew. Do I have to take everything so seriously? Can't I let my guard down and get away with a little something? Do I have to be good all the time?

Yes, I have to be good all the time. How could I be anything less? Jesus challenged us in Luke 17:10, "So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.'" I came to Jesus with a big debt of sin. I was deep in the hole from the start. He paid the price for me, so my good works can't balance the scales. I can't be careless about how I live, however. Careless living is a slap in the face of Christ.

Being good all the time is hard. Being good most of the time is hard. Being good just some of the time is hard! I have to discipline myself. I have to put aside my selfish desires. I have to look out for other people. I don't get much recognition, and sometimes I am criticized for even trying, but pursuing holiness shows that I'm thankful for how God has blessed me today.

The Real Question

When I exhaust all my potential complaints, God is still waiting for me to recognize all my actual blessings. I have a godly father and mother who have trained me in God's way. I have five siblings and a grandfather with whom to share everyday life. I have plenty to eat, plenty to wear, and a comfortable house. I'm part of an encouraging congregation of saints that helps me live for God. The list goes on and on. Above all the earthly blessings, I am even blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ.

We humans like to compare ourselves with each other. Often we are jealous of people who are richer, prettier, funnier, stronger, or of other superlative description. Or maybe we'll be condescending toward those who are poorer, uglier, nerdier, weaker, or of some less desirable description. I know I'd be better off if I stopped comparing myself with others. That's what usually leads to my discontent -- comparing myself with others.

Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if I lived in a different place or time, had different resources at my disposal, or grew up with different training. All such wonderings are ridiculous, of course, if I am trying to figure out how my life could have been better. God raised me up as he saw fit, equipped me as he saw fit, and put me in this place and time to accomplish his purpose in my generation (Acts 13:36).

Instead of wondering how my life could be better, I should wonder how I can make life better for others. How would my family be better if I had not spoken that unkind word? How would the widow's life be better if I had stopped by to see her last week? How much more could I accomplish if I managed my time more effectively? The real question is not "Why, God, do you treat me like this after all I've done for you?" The real question is "Why, God, do I treat you like this after all you've done for me?"

Are you thankful for how God blessed you today? Show it!