Happiness Doubled by Wonder
Gratitude as both a command and a gift.
G.K. Chesterton once said, “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”
Happiness doubled by wonder. I like that and it’s true. As we gather with our families for Thanksgiving we should consider the importance of gratitude. One of the best ways to do that might be to consider the negative impact of ingratitude. Ingratitude was the seed the serpent planted in the mind of Eve. “Did God really say” is a subtle way we are tempted to wonder “Is God really good?” Sin is downstream from a lack of thankfulness. Paul says this in Romans 1: “Or though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude.”
Thanklessness is the antecedent of entitlement, which is the engine for indulgence. We sin because we first think we have the right to sin because the God who made us knows less than the god inside. Gratitude, then, is a habit, a discipline, for a more virtuous life.
Paul, writing from prison, says, “In everything give thanks.” I’ve come to learn that giving thanks more than a one-time decision and a way of life, a gesture that becomes a posture. Gratitude is an antitode to entitlement, a protection around the heart, that can help steal it away from unhealthy ambition, greed, and resentment.
Consider the way the Bible talks about certain sins. On adultery, Proverbs 5:15 says to “drink water from your own cistern, running water from your own well.” In other words, be satisfied, be thankful, be contented with the spouse God gave you and in doing so you’ll be able to resist the desire to break your marriage covenant.
On greed, 1 Timothy 6:10 declares “ the love of money is the root of all evil . . . by craving it, some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.” Money isn’t bad. Money is necessary. But it’s more money that can lead to moral compromises and a departure from the faith. Thankfulness for what one has, contentment, keeps from lowering standards that raise the bank account.
On fighting, James 4 says, “What is the source of wars and fights among you? Don’t they come from your passions that wage war within you? You desire and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and wage war. You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and don’t receive because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.” Pastor James was a keen observerver of his flock. Much conflict arises from ingratitude, a sense of entitlement. You have what I should have. I think this is true today, in many of our conflicts among Christians. Why is he in that position? I’ve worked harder. I know more. Why does she get a book contract or a speaking engagement. I’m more fluent on that topic. Where’s my following or title or acclaim? This is all entitlement.
Thankfulness—the reason for this brief fall season—is the atidote. It’s taking stock and saying, yes I don’t have what others have, but I do have what I have and what I have is a gift from the Lord’s hand. We can even do this in hardship. Habbakuk, the prophet who cried to the Lord “How long?” as his soul vexed over the spiritual condition of his nation, nevertheless found a way to say these words:
Though the fig tree does not bud
and there is no fruit on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though the flocks disappear from the pen
and there are no herds in the stalls,
yet I will celebrate in the Lord;
I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!a
The Lord my Lord is my strength;a
he makes my feet like those of a deerb
and enables me to walk on mountain heights!
A lifetime of gratitude allows us to understand that our good gift come from God in the good season and that sorrow is allowed by God in the fallow times. And ultimately, we can thank God for being God. We can thank Christ for his saving grace and resurrection. We can thank the Holy Spirit for his comforting presence.
So as we gather with our families around a feast and football, let’s remind ourselves of the goodness of gratitude and, if necessary, begin a simple habit of thankfulness.
My book, The Characters of Christmas, is now on sale on Amazon. Get it if you are planning your Advent season. If you have little kids, you’ll like Jesus and The Characters of Christmas.
If your church is looking for a resource about understanding spiritual gifts, check out my study with Lifeway.