There Is Always the Choice

In his first letter to the Thessalonians, the Apostle Paul writes: Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Very rarely in scripture does Paul, or anyone else for that matter, say this clearly: This is God’s will for you… But here it is. And it’s very simple – very spelled out. But by no means easy.

The spiritual giant Henri Nouwen really brings this home for me. He makes the claim that gratitude is in many ways a discipline… and it involves a conscious choice. He once wrote, “I can choose to be grateful even when my emotions and feelings are still steeped in hurt and resentment. It is amazing how many occasions present themselves in which I can choose gratitude instead of complaint. I can choose to be grateful when I am criticized, even when my heart still responds in bitterness. I can choose to speak about goodness and beauty, even when my inner eye still looks for someone to accuse or something to call ugly. I can choose to listen to the voices that forgive and to look at the faces that smile, even while I still hear words of revenge and see grimaces of hatred.”

There is always the choice between resentment and gratitude…

Nouwen goes on to say, “The choice for gratitude rarely comes without some real effort. But each time I make it, the next choice is a little easier, a little freer, a little less self-conscious. Because every gift I acknowledge reveals another and another until, finally, even the most normal, obvious, and seemingly mundane event or encounter proves to be filled with grace.”

All of this has the potential to change not only our perspective on life and increase our own well-being. Think about it. If you’re grateful, you’re not fearful… If you’re grateful, you act out of a sense of enough and not out of a sense of scarcity… If you are grateful, you are enjoying the differences between people… If you are grateful, you are aware of how fragile life is, you don’t take it for granted… 

On this Thanksgiving week, I invite you again to pause and take note of the gifts that surround you. Perhaps create your own list. And then give rejoice and give thanks.

Let us pray: We thank you, O God, for our faith, for the strength, guidance, and courage we need to face the obstacles of everyday life. We thank you for friends and family and even strangers who do make the journey of life easier and more enjoyable. Today, help us to express our gratitude to them even as we express it to you: Thank you, God. Amen.