Gratitude

Tom Barnard

homas à Kempis once said, “Be thankful for the least gift, so shalt thou be meet to receive greater.” I take this to mean that the starting point of human thankfulness begins at the bottom, not the top. Unless I am able to show gratitude for the lesser things in life, I will never fully enjoy the greater things in life. Bending the knee is always the way to the top.

Lloyd John Ogilvie has left us with this prayer:

“Lord, you remind me that thanksgiving is the memory of the heart.

You desire it, I require it, and others never tire of it.”

God wants it; we need it; others never get enough of it. Gratitude helps break the fantasy that we are in charge of our lives. We are not self-sufficient. Independent. We depend on each other—and on God—to enjoy the full meaning of a deep relationship. In fact, an attitude of gratefulness is essential to keep a fire burning in our souls for God…and for each other.

I attended a funeral yesterday—the second of three funerals I will attend before Thanksgiving Day. The man honored was only 48 years of age—a much-loved husband and father of four. A teacher by choice, he was just reaching his most productive years professionally. Elected “teacher-of-the-year” several times, he taught six-grade math in the public school he attended as a youth. He coached basketball, softball, golf, and football. Along the way he earned a law degree from the University of Oklahoma and could easily have enjoyed a career in law. He chose teaching. He wanted to protect summers and holidays to be with his family. And he wanted to make a difference in the lives of young people. His name was John.

An accidental fall claimed his life. Word of the accident spread quickly. His teaching colleagues, school administrators, and students held prayer vigils. Churches of many denominations around the world sent word that they were praying. He never regained consciousness. Someone estimated that more than two thousand persons—young and old—were present for his funeral. The minister asked those to stand who were current or past students during John’s eighteen years in the classroom. Hundreds stood. They were there to express their gratitude for a dedicated life that was lived before them.

What will happen next? Someone will be hired to teach John’s classes and coach John’s athletes. Another golfer will teach kids how to chip and putt. Life will go on. But will anything really change? Absolutely. John’s “legacy” will live on. He will not be forgotten. Some boy or girl will grow up, go to college, and follow the trail he blazed. Another John or Sue or Bill or Mary will pursue excellence in their lives. They may choose to follow John into the classroom. In fact, there may be hundreds of them. Maybe thousands. They will remember that John Griffis taught them how to be thankful.

One of John’s favorite Bible verses was Philippians 4:6-7:

“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Gratitude is not about a national holiday that we call “Thanksgiving.” Gratitude is not about a “day.” It is about an attitude of the heart. Ogilvie was right—“thanksgiving is the memory of the heart.” I like the emphasis John Henry Jowett gave to the attitude of thanksgiving:

“Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion. Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception. Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude. Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road.”