Basking in Gratitude

“A Psalm for giving thanks. Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”

Psalm 100:5

What do you think of when you hear the word Bask?  I think of something relaxing, probably because I think of basking in the sun, which I find extremely relaxing. My kind of day would consist of an early morning rise to see the beautiful warm sun come up as the day begins, and then sit basking the rest of the day. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?

While that first morning sunrise last for only a moment, the beauty and the warmth seem to linger within my mind and my heart throughout the day. I mean, it is truly exquisite! I absolutely love it! I often joke that during the winter months, when it is colder and darker I hibernate, or hideout. With less sunshine, I have less or no energy. This, I say, is because I am solar-powered. It is as if with less sunlight, I find myself depleted, lacking what I need most, energy, and life. Maybe there is some truth to that, but for the most part, I just prefer warm sunshine. This is why I prefer summer over any other season.

In my preference, I have realized that while I am not really “solar-powered”, there is just something about the sun that makes me feel energized, fully alive, and empowered to tackle whatever comes my way. There’s nothing like basking in something so relaxing that it prepares you for anything and everything. I live in a place where the sunrise is a blink away, and I couldn’t be more thankful for it. I have a lot to be thankful for, the sunrise view is just one of them. Add them all together, and I find myself in an overwhelming state of gratitude.

Giving thanks is a polite expression along with a command in scripture. It is a big deal. As we approach the holiday of Thanksgiving I found myself reflecting on what I am most thankful for, and what does it truly means to the thankful. As I thought about this, I was struck with tankful’s counterpart, “grateful.” What is the difference?  While I realized that they are used interchangeably, and hold similar sentiments, I was curious about what makes them different.  

Both “thankful” and “grateful” are words that express a positive connotation, and in that respect are very much the same, but I have found a distinct eye-opening difference that could change your Thanksgiving thankful list this year.

Whenever I want to understand something more deeply or learn about something deep, I go to the Bible. I know in the word of God that I will discover an answer. It is here where a deeper truth is found, and while I may not understand what that truth is at first glance, I trust that I will come to understand with time. God and His word are faithful like that. You can expect, and trust He will reveal something. If only we seek, and listen. So, this is what I did with these two words. Why? Because I want to understand just what it means to be thankful in all things, and if this is possible, then how do I live grateful through it all.

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Looking at these two words at first glance we may not see a difference, and when we think about using these two words, we may not feel a difference, but there is a difference, and I hope you can see that.

The definition for thankful, according to Merriam Websters Dictionary is, “ expressive of thanks; well pleased, glad; conscious of benefit received.”  

When we look at the definition of grateful, we see similarities, yet distinct differences as well.

Grateful, according to Merriam Websters Dictionary states it’s meaning this way, “expressing gratitude; affording pleasure or contentment, pleasing; appreciative of benefits received; pleasing by reason of comfort supplied or discomfort alleviated.”

Can you see the similarities? Both are expressive of a positive feeling, and both stem from a received kindness. 

The difference we can see lies in the final description for grateful, “pleasing by reason of comfort supplied or discomfort alleviated.” Grateful takes it a step further, it is not just comfort received but acknowledges gratitude for that which saves us from discomfort.

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Romans 6:23

While we can express our thankfulness for the free gift of eternal life, through Jesus Christ, we live out that life with a state of gratitude. Gratitude is not just an emotion, but a state of being,  We live therefore, we are. In our thankfulness for this life, we become a people filled with gratitude. If you know the saving grace of Jesus, then I know you understand. We are grateful for what was given, and maybe more, for what was alleviated. 

“Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!”

2 Corinthians 9:15

Expressing thanks is a natural response to such an extravagant gift. Wouldn’t you say? We can see how expressing thankfulness is all throughout scripture, as a staple theme weaved in and out of every good word, and from it comes to a thankful heart, which is a healthy heart. Within every expression, of thankfulness, and deep within the thankful heart, is the soul where gratitude lives. As if being grateful is a staple of the life that flows within us.

Death has lost its sting, and we have been given that which we could not have earned on our own. Gratitude, here, is an understatement, but it is all we can give. This is the point, gratitude, is the state of living our gifted lives as a sacrifice. Not because we must, but because we can. Simply put, we get to live grateful lives because Jesus graciously offers it.

Like basking, restfully in the warm sunshine, we too can bask in the warm, and resting grace of God, through His Son, Jesus Christ. This too, like the warm sun, is where I find my life-giving energy. As I sit down to write my thankful list this Thanksgiving, I will express thanks with every heart-felt word, for all that is on my list, but the greatest thanks will come from the depths of my grateful soul.

“Even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace, you have been saved”

Ephesians 2:5

So, instead of solar-powered, turns out I am soul powered. Energized and alive in Christ Jesus!

If you do not already know the saving grace of Jesus Christ, you can. By simply asking Him. He is gracious to answer and ready to save.

Blessings,

Anne Blanchette

Photo by Josh Duncan on Unsplash