Wanna be healthy? Give THANKS!

I do this thing every November; everyday I post something that I am thankful for...on facebook I think that they call it "30 days of Thanksgiving". I don't do it to be part of the facebook crowd. I believe in being thankful. I think that thankfulness is powerful and profound and amazing. I think, in fact, it is crucial! My kids will tell you that. Long after I am gone, sipping tea with C. S. Lewis and Tolkien at the wedding supper of the Lamb, I hope that my kids will sit around laughing saying, "Remember when Mom used to make us make 'I am thankful for ... ' lists?"
 I do. 
All the time. 
When they are struggling with anything:
when they are sad, angry, depressed, overwhelmed
 ... it is like my cure-all ... 
I will say, "You owe me a list of 10 things you are genuinely thankful for." 

Many, many years ago my pastor, my first pastor, George Caywood taught on being thankful. It ~ clearly ~ made an impression. This is what he taught:

He taught from Rom 1:18-21


The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. 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. 
NIV

This is what he taught ... I hope I do it justice.

Too, too often this text is used as a bludgeon ... against all sin, specifically sins of all types of immorality. But, the text is written to Christians. George said we should pay attention to the root -- the thing that leads to the sin -- AND do the opposite, so we are protected form all the things listed as horrible results. What is that root? Romans 1:21: The people who know God -- and those who should know Him --

1) do not acknowledge God as God
and 
2) do not give thanks. 

And, therefore, their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 

And, if you continue reading the chapter, you see that the result of this futility of thinking and darkening of their heart is sin ~ horrible, debased and often repugnant sin. So . . . what keeps us from this horrible fate? What keeps us healthy? Two pretty 'obvious' things:

1) Acknowledge God as God ~ 
     * make Him LORD of your life
     * believe and live knowing that what 
        He says is right, IS right; what He
        says is wrong, IS wrong; what He
        says is good, IS good; and what 
        He says is evil, IS evil. 
     * worship Him...do not merely 
        participate in the song service 
        at church; that is PART of worship
        but only PART. Worship is giving 
        all of you ~ living all your life ~ 
        in such a way that your life is a
        worthy offering to Him. 

2) Give thanks  

Does anyone even need explanation? GIVE THANKS! 
Easy, right??!
 It is so powerful! Taking the time to look around at all of life and THANK God transforms your attitude, your thinking, your heart, your perspective. When you thank God you are reminded that He has done wonderful things for you, that all of life is full to the brim of wonders that God has lavished on us. When you thank God, the emotion of gratitude really does cause your heart to be saturated in joy and delight. Try it ~ think of something you are thankful for...really really really thankful for....call it to mind and remember, look at what ever it is in your mind's eye for a minute or so. OK, do you feel it? Can you feel the light-heartedness? Do you feel the joy the delight, the gladness rising? Thankfulness also radically transforms your attitude -- there is a quiet humility, and a knowledge of God's generosity that can transform your view of life. 

If you go back to the scripture in Romans, if you do NOT acknowledge God as God, and you do not give thanks then your thinking becomes futile and your heart is darkened. So....

Here are some synonyms for futile:
barren, bootless, delusive, empty, 
exhausted, forlorn, fruitless,
hollow, idle, impractical, ineffective, 
ineffectual, insufficient, nugatory,
otiose, profitless, resultless,
unproductive, unprofitable, unreal, 
unsatisfactory, unsubstantial, unsuccessful, 
useless, vain, valueless, worthless

Wouldn't that mean that your thinking would be full of light and full of life, equipped clear and realistic full energetic happy fruitful solid active practical effective... and so on and so on and so on, if you do acknowledge Him as God and give thanks? Right? Isn't that what we all want? It works. I have tried it. I recommend that you do too! Make lists...really ~ lists. Try it for a week. One week. End your days by making a list of 10 things you are REALLY thankful for...no repeating allowed. THINK about it. The obvious stuff will come first: your health, your husband, your children, your friends, good food ~ you know. By day 3 you may say "ummmm..." at first. Don't give up. Begin to list the less obvious things: God made light ~ what are you thankful for about light? sight, warmth, plantlife, color, etc. God made sound...God gave us rain, and water, and the oceans, and birds and and and and. Then think of the fact that we live when we can have electricity, and when we can get on planes and drive cars ... a time of ease and convenience. God gave food flavor...He didn't have to, it might have been flavorless but good for you. Think of all the flavors He thought of: oranges, cumin, lettuce, garlic, steak, raspberries, corn, apples, honey, strawberries, peppers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes...and so on and so on. After you make your list each day, ponder each thing you've listed and allow that wonderful emotion that is attendant to real gratitude to rise and fill  your heart and in the swell of that emotion, say "Thank you, God!" Really: TRY IT!