Thankfulness is More About Engaging Than Having a Feeling
Why the cycle of goodwill needs a thankful person
The Greek work Χάρις translated in English is grace. Favor, bending down in kindness and goodwill to another. Grace is less a state of being, one where we stand in someone’s favor, and more a current of empowerment causing someone to have an opportunity to grow and succeed.
Grace is more than favorability. It’s sustainability and reinforcement. Grace is diffusion from a source of high concentration to an area of low concentration until equilibrium has been reached. Grace is any transfer of ability from one to another.
Grace is opportunity.
Everything we have is the result of some favor shown to us. Sure we earn, but we are the result of parents, teachers, churches and society. As favor comes to us, we are supposed to be thankful, but this isn’t an arbitrary emotion of gratitude. This thankfulness is tied directly to the grace we receive.
In fact, many “say grace” over their meals because it is also a proper translation of Χάρις. Charis is both the favor and the return of favor. It’s the recompense of the favor shown us. Grace and Thanksgiving are two parts of the same circuit.
How so? Grace is engagement in our lives, enabling us to experience a life fully lived. It is whatever and whoever steps into our current estate and raises us up to a greater maturity. So then thankfulness is our rightly ordered response. When we engage in mindfulness of our surroundings and we experience the breadth of our blessings, we can truly appreciate them, recognizing our gifts.
Then with proper understanding of what we have and what we have received, we engage the cycle, continuing the path of favor from us to our neighbors.
Many times we lack thankfulness because haven’t engaged in our own bounty. We haven’t taken the time to smell the roses, as it were. We are consumed with consuming, never pausing to engage in what we have, only triggering further want and craving. When we fail to engage mindfully in recognition of what we do have, we cut the circle and end the circuit of favor.
Let’s begin to meditate on all that has been put into our lives. Appreciate the hours that a teacher spent, the warmth your coat brings you, the taste of a meal. Experience the favor in our lives and we will have the motivation to push that favor forward. Many of us complain in the midst of privilege. We scold a bad driver while sitting comfortably in our toasty car, not noticing our blessings, not realizing that many don’t have the privilege of a warm car to yell at other fools on the road.
Grace in. Thanks out. Favor in. Favor out. Blessing in. Blessing out.
Give thanks. Give grace. Give favor. Give.
