Gratitude Changes YouSample

When it comes to dealing with worry, Paul provides a beautiful solution in these verses. Why, though, does Paul make thanksgiving part of the solution? Even if the phrase “with thanksgiving” were removed from verse six, it would still teach a powerful lesson on dealing with anxiety. I think he included it because he had learned the importance of gratitude in our spiritual journey. Even a cursory reading of the Pauline epistles reveals that Paul was an unusually thankful person. However, his approach to gratitude is more about a lifestyle than simply offering the occasional prayer of thanksgiving. He refers to the theme of gratitude 49 times in his letters on a wide variety of topics and circumstances. Paul understood that thanksgiving should inform every aspect of our experience. I also believe he mentioned it so many times because he understood a grateful heart does not come naturally. Gratitude is a spiritual skill we’ve got to work at and cultivate just like any other skill: playing an instrument, cooking, or learning a vocation. If it’s really going to make an impact, we can’t just pull it out from time to time. No, the selective use of gratitude is like picking up a violin for the first time and expecting to play Brahm’s violin sonata number 3 – the result will be less than stellar.

In this passage, Paul highlights an important and wonderful benefit of cultivating a lifestyle of gratitude. Namely, it can set us free from a life of worry and anxiety. It can set us free from the need to be in control and the illusion that we really are. Those who need to be in control are frequently among the most anxious people on the planet. Why? For two reasons: First, they spend an inordinate amount of time worrying that things are going to spin out of control. It’s difficult for them to enjoy the moment for fear of what might happen. Secondly, they are constantly trying to live in the fantasy that they are in control, even though life proves on a regular basis that they are not! How exhausting that must be!

To varying degrees, all of us have a touch of a control freak in us. Certain settings and situations can bring it out even in the best of us. When my teenage daughter began driving on her own, I was frequently filled with anxiety. In retrospect, I can see that a large part of my anxiety was not just about her safety but coming to grips with the fact that I was not in control of the car or her. However, when I followed my wife’s suggestion to give thanks in the midst of my anxiety, I was reminded of several things that brought peace: that God made her and loves her more than I ever will, that she’s not really mine to keep but to have for a brief season and that she ultimately belongs to him; and that she’s a good, responsible girl who is a joy to parent. When I looked at the situation through the lens of thanksgiving, my inner control freak relaxed, and I was able to give her the keys without the anxiety.

Where could a grateful heart provide you with peace that transcends understanding?