Thanklessness Takes Over

Today's post is a little different than normal. It is a little more personal. It is a little more serious.

At Chorale practice last night, the director read a devotional reminding us that we should focus on thankfulness, not thanklessness (is that a word?). He read from the book The 77 Habits of Highly Ineffective Habits by Chris Fabry. Don't you hate it when God takes these generic words someone put together as a devotional and directs them at your heart? I know that I do. And that is what happened last night. There I was, using the music and the friends to forget about a job that I don't like, and a manager who challenges me daily. Then...BAM. The director smacked me upside the head with his reading.

OK, so, have I mentioned that I do not like my job? Actually, it is much a stronger feeling than that. I don't want to say hate, but is feels close to that. I hate waking up early to finish the previous days tasks. I feel tired all day (a classic sign of depression). I get headaches a lot more than usual. I kind of withdraw from others, sometimes even from family. The work isn't fun. I wince when my boss sends me an email, wondering what bad news it contains. Maybe some of you have felt this before about something, not necessarily only related to a job.

So, what was the devotional? I was about fostering a feeling of thanklessness (a story told in the negative kind of like The Screwtape Letters). He said we should write down a list of things we are not thankful for. He reminded me that Romans 1:21 says, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” Thanklessness leads to futile thinking and foolish hearts. The cure for thanklessness is to glorify God, know Him, and thank Him. Thanking God may not transform your circumstances, but it will transform your soul.

OK, that sounds like a traditional devotional. Why am I sharing it? I think you know why. You may even be feeling the same way. For some weeks, the focus of my every prayer has been to seek God's Will about my job. "Lord, please bring along the right job for me." "Jesus, give me patience and the right words to say back to her." "Dear Father, give me Your wisdom to be doing the right things." As you can see, I am praying from a point of thanklessness, not thankfulness. I should be focusing on the blessings God has given me. He loves me for me. I have a loving family who also loves God. I have a beautiful, loving wife. I have a job that God has put me in. I am (fairly) healthy. I am 9 years cancer free. I have a place to live, transportation, vacations with family. So many things. Why do I focus on the negatives? No, not consciously, but maybe that makes it even worse. Here is a photo of family in Ouray that makes me smile.

An attitude of thanklessness moves our focus away from the Lord by promoting preoccupation with self, people, and problems, which in turn cause depression and ultimately hopelessness. We should place our focus on living as God’s children instead of as the world’s children. A thankful child of the Father depends on Him and His triumph over sin. God is not the author of thanklessness. God is the author of thankfulness

Speaking of thanks, thanks for letting me unburden on you. Yes, I still hope God will maybe lead me to a different job, but I will now pray that He will help me see my situation as a part of my Christian walk. What about you? Are you caught in a negative cycle about anything? Just Give Thanks!