Giving Thanks

Most of the time, we as Christians don't give thanks enough. We live blessed lives, filled with what we need and what we want (most of us), that things get taken for granted too easily. As Malaysians, most of us feel that we have a lot to complain about. And here are several of the most common complaints:

1. Bad government- corruption, dirty politicking, unfair policies, racism, etc.
2. Transportation- jammed roads, late trains (the KTM come to mind?), expensive fares
3. Weather- it's always too hot, or too rainy, never "just nice"
4. Economy- things are always too expensive, and getting more so by the day
5. Infrastructure- Bad infrastructure, leading to all sorts of problems (jams, water shortage, flood, power cuts, etc)

All of which are valid complaints, and all of which I have to admit, I too complain about almost on a daily basis. Yet, is complaining all that we can do? What is there to give thanks for? Here are a few simple reminders:

1. At least we HAVE a government, and we can vote (however unfair/fixed you think it is, at least you CAN VOTE)
2. Transportation- We have it. Try walking 5 miles a day to school, then see if you'll complain
3. Weather- We are blessed to not need to freeze our faces off in the winter, or burn ourselves in the summer. We need not suffer droughts (barring certain circumstances), and spring and flowers blooming is year round
4. Economy- We have a relatively stable economy, despite a fluctuating GDP
5. Infrastructure- Hey, at least we have infrastructure to even complain about

Don't get me wrong here, I'm not saying we should just sit back, relax, and accept it all. We need progress, we need better governance, we can improve our GDP, we can improve our infrastructure. Compared to some nations (Korea, Singapore, Japan, China), we are far far behind. We have a lot of room for improvement true, but in our pursuit of improvement and better standards, let us not forget to give thanks as well. Being thankful and grateful doesn't mean being laid-back, and having a need to improve doesn't mean we can complain about all that we have now.

We keep complaining about our situations, and ask God why it doesn't get better. Like kids, we moan and groan, and whine and complain. Think about it. Will God want to give you more, when you can't even give thanks for the things He has given you? It's like a kid who has a toy car, and complains that it's not good enough and wants a helicopter, and leaves the toy car in its corner unused and unappreciated. If you don't give thanks for the things you have right now, and make the most of it (after all, improvement is making the most of what you have to gain a better future), don't expect God to give you bigger things to handle. It doesn't work that way.


The one hero I look up to in terms of complaining is Job. Here was a man who had everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. He had the land, the livestock, a large united family (they often had parties and invited everyone). And in one day, everything was taken from him. His livestock, his family, his possessions. And what was his reply?

"And (Job) said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.""- Job 1:21.

What a reply! What humility! What serenity of acceptance! Here was a man who had everything, and had everything taken away from him without rhyme or reason, and he replies in such simple yet profound words, giving praise to the Lord for all He has done. What does the Bible say about him?

"In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." -Job 1:22.

He DID NOT SIN by CHARGING GOD WITH WRONGDOING. How many times have we done that? How many times have we complained about something to God, get angry over something we can't have, as though it was our right to have it, as though we were fit to demand from our Creator? How many times have we charged God with wrongdoing?

While Job himself complained, he knew to give thanks to God, and not once in his complaints did he ever forget that God was the Creator, and he merely the creation. Not once did he demand that God return to him what was his, or for God to give him more. We have a lot to learn from Job. A whole lot.

Let us learn to give thanks, for the things that we have. God knows what we can handle, and gives to us in proportion to our abilities.

-God, give us the courage to change the things we can, serenity to accept the things we can't, and wisdom to know the difference.-