The Best Medicine Pt. 2
I have been thinking about being thankful a lot since the first ‘Good Medicine’ post. I am completely convinced that doing “Thankful Binges” is the best way to live, as well as the best way to manage hardship and anxiety in our lives. Thankful Binges are times of listing off all the things we are thankful for, as many as we can continuously say.
Let me take apart the concept of thanksgiving a little more. Years ago, as I was studying this concept, I came across the Greek word for thanksgiving. Eucharisteo is that awesome word. For many of us, looking at an old Greek word is just an academic exercise that does not really change our life. Maybe it makes us a little smarter, but does it really help us do life more beautifully?
Eucharisteo literally means “recognition of a gift received”. So when we give thanks we are practically communicating to the giver of the gift that we are happy about the gift and that we did receive it. Right in the middle of that Greek word is the word charis. Charis is the word that we translate grace or gift. Grace and gift are some of the most beautiful words imaginable. By nature a gift is free -- it is not earned. I know that seems obvious, but let’s go there. True gifts have no strings attached.
At Christmas time it is appropriate to write a note or text of thanks to the giver of the gifts we received. We recognize the giver as the one who did the sacrificial work of giving, while we got to do the beautiful act of receiving. We also, as the recipients, get the benefit of the gift. I really like receiving good gifts, especially anything food related! Seriously, when someone buys Shakespeare’s Pizza (the best pizza in Columbia, MO), oh my, that is a good day! Come on, who does not like receiving a good gift?
Why is this so crucial? To be thankful without an object to which you are thanking is about as useless as saying you love without directing that love at someone. Just like love is worthless without an object it is directed at, so is thankfulness useless without being directed at the giver.
My ‘better than I deserve’ thankfulness binge list.
As we reflect on our lives and the thousands of gifts swamped on us, who will we thank? Some seem to thank “fate”. Does luck really deserve our gratitude? I would say no, but if there is a capital “G” Giver then thanksgiving starts to make more and more sense. We must thank the Giver!
Where did all these sweet gifts come from? They came from God.
But what about all these hardships? Where did they come from? I believe our great God at least allows these hard things. I have no idea why He allows them, but we do know that He is the Giver and He is the Lover.
This little line comes to mind, “The Lord gives, the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.” (A song this reminds me of)
With all that in mind, it makes sense then that we could honor the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:18 that say “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” We can give thanks when things are good and we can give thanks when things are bad.
As my family and I walk through the hardest trial of our lives, we want to deeply walk in thanksgiving to this Amazing King of ours. He did the giving of His son at the cross, but did not stop there. He has piled up gifts upon gifts to us. As for my wife and me, we will keep thanking Him even though we are bruised and beaten up.
Bonus verses you gotta check out on your own: