-Joe Fornear
It’s that time of year again – time to hear how important it is to be thankful. 
Now I don’t know about you, but sometimes I don’t feel like being thankful. And during my Stage IV cancer battle, my best offering to the Lord was admitting I was numb toward Him. Waves of pain from the cancer and treatments had popped holes in my emotional-spiritual tank. At times, I wasn’t feeling anything positive, let alone gratefulness. Still, I had some breakthrough moments.
So what do we do when we don’t feel thankful? Here is the first of what I believe are three keys to thankfulness – (Keys #2 & #3 next week):
1) Determine to be thankful. This may seem an obvious first step, but when you’re really hurting, it’s tempting to make peace with despair. Please don’t settle for despair! With the Lord there is a better way, and we can grow into being more thankful.
Another temptation that blocks thankfulness is the trend of venting among cancer fighters today. Venting is pouring out anger and cussing at cancer. Now, trust me, I truly get the feeling, and I had flareups of venting during my battle. Still, the wisdom of the Bible stands clear for us all, “Only the fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man holds it back” (Proverbs 29:11). Letting anger rip may seem to relieve it for a time, but venting actually embeds it deeper. Then, the object of our anger becomes “bigger than God.” It’s like praising God in reverse.
On the positive side, a huge incentive to thankfulness is it improves our overall well-being. Every doctor, counselor or pastor will tell you that having a grateful attitude goes a long way toward physical and spiritual healing. The Lord even designed our bodies to reinforce gratitude. Stress, frustration, complaining, anxiety, worry, bitterness, anger – all of these raise physical warning flags in our bodies. Our brain responds by dumping surplus adrenaline and stomach acid into our system which can cause reflux, headaches and ulcers. I saw this dynamic in my own battle, a complaining spirit caused unnecessary setbacks during my fight. Yet, when I was spiritually rested, my body rested and responded better.
Joe’s full story in book form, My Stronghold, is free to cancer patients – request here.
Certainly the Lord greatly encourages thankfulness, as there are dozens of invitations in the Scripture. Since His love for us is incomparable, thankfulness must be very good for us! At the start of His love letter to the Colossians, the Lord even leads Paul to pray for them to be thankful (1:11-12). So we will close today with this prayer for me and you. Note that this prayer’s ultimate goal in our lives is not just thanksgiving – but “joyous” thanksgiving. Let’s pray this for each other right now – ok?
May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father.
So first, we’re asking the Lord to grant us the determination to be thankful… all year round. Next week, we’ll dig deeper into how to produce thanksgiving – when we don’t feel like it.
