The More We Are Thankful...
/by Rev. Eric Folkerth
“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for God is good; God’s steadfast love endures forever!”
1 Chronicles 16:34
The more we are thankful, the more we are thankful.
This simple phrase has become a mantra for my life. And as we approach Thanksgiving, I invite you to make it one of yours.
It’s been a terribly hard few years. Some of you reading this have lost loved ones to COVID. In our church, I hear the anguished grief of members mourning the loss of unvaccinated family members or friends. The sense of survivor’s guilt is palpable.
And right in the midst of this time, we barrel straight toward Thanksgiving. It’s the only Federal holiday that we in the Church can rightly say was ours first. Long before Lincoln made his decree about the day in November, People of Faith have been giving thanks day by day.
Thanksgiving is a spiritual process. It’s a spiritual discipline. And the more we are thankful…the more we are thankful.
Brain science now confirms this truth. One of my favorite podcasts, “The Happiness Lab,” seems to focus on gratitude in almost every episode. Time and time again they remind their listeners that thanksgiving is a practice we can and must cultivate. And, the more we lean-in to our gratitude, the happier we will be - even in our most challenging moments.
The more you practice the “practice of giving thanks,” the more things you find to be thankful for, and your thanksgiving will grow. That’s the way it works.
Especially if you are an idealist –if you yearn to change the world for the better– it’s very likely that you need to give thanks more often than you do. So, “put your own oxygen mask on first” before you charge out to change the world.
Let’s be clear. I’m not suggesting that gorging on turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie is a secret road to happiness. (In fact, it might be a path to more shame and sadness about your food choices…)
I’m suggesting that the original *point* of thanksgiving —naming, noticing, remembering the ways in which we are blessed— is deeply important to all human happiness. Science and faith teach us this.
During these weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, we will also be engaging in our yearly Stewardship Campaign around the theme “Season of Gratitude.” Please join us the next few weeks in worship as we unpack the meaning of gratitude in our lives.
So as we look toward Thanksgiving, start the practice anew for this year. Commit to be thankful and grateful for the things you often forget - like the blessing of a warm house in winter, or being among the wealthiest folks on the planet.
You are, you know. If you are reading these words, you are among the wealthiest humans on the planet. Yes, life is hard. Yes, injustice is rampant. But if you want to fight injustice, start with a soul centered on Thanksgiving.
This season, I’m grateful for my family and friends. I’m grateful to all of you beautiful people of Kessler Park UMC. I’m grateful for the breath that moves in and out of me. I’m grateful for long walks through Oak Cliff as leaves turn and fall. I’m grateful for the chance to be able to write you all of this right now.
Start with the simple things as you start your journey back toward gratitude.
I love Anne Lamotte’s writings, and especially what she says about prayer.
One of her favorite prayers is simply: “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
That’s it. That’s the whole prayer.
So, in every small and great thing you can think of to be thankful for, whisper the prayer, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
It won’t make the mess of the world go away, but it just might help you cope with it.
The more we are thankful, the more we are thankful.
Grace and Peace,
Eric Folkerth
(Note: A version of this piece also appears in this month’s Oak Cliff Advocate)