Gratitude and Praise for the Win

I saw this clip and could think of little else besides 2020. Some days it seems that no matter what we try in order to survive, we get knocked down by a new circumstance of this bizarre year.

Whatever this guy is trying to achieve, we’ve got to give him credit for his persistence and enthusiasm. He seems to rush into each attempt as if he expects it to result in joy. He does not seem to mind finding himself half-naked and face-first on the mat, again, and again, and again. In a way, he is practicing Positive Psychology.

I am fascinated by Positive Psychology. Many branches of Psychology focus on what is not working: neurosis, anxiety, and other disorders. Positive Psychology looks at what’s right and why it works. Here we find the tools God gives us to survive: resilience, problem-solving, gratitude, and other coping skills.

I am not sure the man in the clip shows gratitude, but I know that gratitude is one of the most important of all of our coping skills. We do ourselves good when we feel or even express gratitude. Our emotions work carefully with our brains to not only help us learn but to help us react. Gratitude is an interesting emotion because it is also something we can practice. We feel gratitude, and that encourages us to practice it (e.g., say “thank you”), but we can also practice gratitude to feel it. For instance, the more we thank people, the more settled we become in our resiliency because we remind ourselves of people who care about us.

Praise has a similar practice/feeling connection. We are less likely to think of praising unless we make a point of practicing praise. This thinking puts a marker, of sorts, on our brain to look for good things to use for compliments. When we look for and praise good things, we develop good feelings. It is a beautiful loop of encouragement. Praising someone else makes us feel better.

When we practice praise or gratitude, we strengthen particular neural pathways that will be activated when needed.  We physically fill our brains with neurons connected to happiness and confidence. Psychologists will say this broadens the mind because it allows us to feel good emotions even during a negative situation. We do not ignore the negative. Instead, the negative gets connected to healthy emotions, such as a sense of peace and confidence.

I have read about this connection between practicing and feeling and brain changes, but I find the most compelling evidence in scripture.

We can see this in the Psalm below. Psalm 85 is likely from the time after the Babylonian exile. While I am sure those who returned experienced joy, their reality was complicated and tough. They came back to a barren and desolate land with no temple for worship. Look how the psalmist begins to put things into perspective:

Lord, you were favorable to Your land;
    You restored the fortunes of Jacob.
You forgave the iniquity of Your people;
    You covered all their sin. Selah
You withdrew all Your wrath;
    You turned from Your hot anger.

Restore us again, O God of our salvation,
    and put away Your indignation toward us!
Will You be angry with us forever?
    Will You prolong Your anger to all generations?
Will You not revive us again,
    that Your people may rejoice in You?
Show us Your steadfast love, O Lord,
    and grant us Your salvation.

The daunting task ahead of them likely made them feel the punishment of the exile was not quite finished. In the next set of verses, the psalmist moves away from grief and toward the promises of God. He seeks out what is good amid the strife:

Let me hear what God the Lord will speak,
    for He will speak peace to His people, to His saints;
    but let them not turn back to folly.
 Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him,

that glory may dwell in our land.
  

And look what the change in emotional expression leads us to. The final verses focus on praise and gratitude and abound with the confidence of faith:

Steadfast love and faithfulness meet;
    righteousness and peace kiss each other.
Faithfulness springs up from the ground,
    and righteousness looks down from the sky.
Yes, the Lord will give what is good,
    and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before Him
    and make His footsteps a way. Psalm 85 ESV © 2001 Crossway

 

Practicing gratitude and praise when it feels more appropriate to wallow in sadness and worry creates a path for God’s steadfast love and faithfulness meet our need. His plan is to care for us and to do so in a way that helps us to grow stronger. 

It is easy and natural to feel gratitude and praise when things go well, yet we often forget to practice them when we are distracted by the good in our life. When we neglect the practice of gratitude and praise, we are too likely to begin to have faith in our ability to create good things.

When we experience grief and worry we are not so tempted to credit ourselves through praise. When we feel sadness, anxiety, or frustration, we can stop and give credit where credit is due. Not to blame God for troubles, but to remember and revel in His gracious mercy.

Take advantage of this time of frustration and practice gratitude and praise. Then watch God help you grow. Use scripture as your tool, and God will grow your faith, also.

God’s peace and strength are ours.

 

Vote. Pray. Trust.

 

The post was one of those rare breaths of fresh air on social media. Chad Bird's piece was a short, thoughtful essay reminding us that God is all-powerful, and trustworthy. The post was a beautiful reminder of a God who is sovereign over both the right-hand kingdom (the Kingdom of God) and the left-hand kingdom (the kingdom of earth.) 

 

The first comment after the post was a "yes, but" comment. It assured agreement but reminded us that we still need to remember that one party is evil and the world will collapse if the wrong party wins the election.

 

 Just say "no" to “yes, buts.” 

 

Either you believe that God is in charge, or you don't. Either you believe that He created the world and knows more about what the world needs than we do, or you don't. Either you trust Him to protect His people through all manner of turmoil, or you don't.

 

You can't have it both ways. We can't trust in God AND lean on our own understanding. (Prov. 3:5)

 

We must stop saying, "Yes, God is good, but did you read this article or listen to this political pundit?" We must stop worrying that God does not see all of the junk on our newsfeeds. He sees it and He knows that little of it is true. God knows all people involved. He knows the candidates' true motives from both sides, He knows the intent of people in both parties, and He loves us anyway.

 

Even though we are all sinners, He loves us anyway.

 

When God works in the left-hand kingdom, He does not need our votes. He asks us to vote because it is good to be obedient to the process, but He doesn't need us to save the world for Him. 

 

God is good. God is good all the time. And His goodness is especially evident when we humans are not good.

 

If we are concerned about what will happen after the election, it would be good to practice some self-examination. Ephesians 4: 25-32 has some convicting content. Here are the guidelines I need to hear:

 

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 

 

When it comes to posting about politics – DON’T! Such posts don't change any minds, are likely full of untrue statements, and only serve to push us away from each other. God created us to be in fellowship – not to be on a debate team.

 

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. 

 

We can be angry about politics, but anger is useless and potentially harmful when we are angry with our friends or family about politics. It's not good vs. evil. If it is a human endeavor, it's not going to be good.

 

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 

 

As much as possible make sure your actions are good. Stay busy with the work God sets before you. There are people in your vicinity who need care and words and actions, reminding them of God's grace. Political posts don't change people; the Gospel changes people. Live the Gospel.

 

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.  

 

If it isn't supportive, if it doesn't make things better, if it takes a side or tries to make a complicated issue simplistic, it is not helpful. Remember that name-calling and insults are signs of contempt, and contempt leaves no room for love. Live love.

 

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 

 

Consider that you grieve the Holy Spirit when you pronounce one party more Christian than the other. Both parties are full of sinful, deluded, misguided humans. God is God, and we are not.  

 

Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4: 25-32

 

We are forgiven. The Saving Blood of Jesus covers our awful sins and nasty motivations. We belong to a powerful God who made us, loves us, and protects us. Through our Savior's actions and the Word and Sacraments, we are set apart by the Spirit.

 

We are not the people of "yes, but." We are the people of "yes, and."

 

Yes, I am a sinner, and I am forgiven.

 

Yes, the world is chaotic, and God is in charge.

 

Yes, I want to see a change in this world and God can make that happen.(Maybe He will use me to do it.)

 

Lord Jesus Christ, show me how to be part of the change You know the world needs. Not a political change, but a spiritual one. Not with hope placed in a politician, but with the assured hope of the resurrection. Amen. Amen. Amen.

 

We Find No Answers in Fear or Anger

We just want answers. We just want to know what is right, what is helpful, what we should do.

Does it help to wear masks?

Should we continue to stay at home?

Should we have a soft opening?

Or maybe we should throw caution to the wind and return to long lost routines with no precautions?

This politician says one thing. This scientist says another. I read an article on social media, but I am not sure about the accuracy because it was snarky and insulting, and mean. 

Some people are living in fear, and we show that fear in different ways. Some fear leaving home; some fear government intrusion; some fear deep seated conspiracy.

We just want to know what to do. Is that asking too much? Apparently, it is.

Almost 25 years ago, our three-year-old son started having seizures, and I wanted answers.

I read over a dozen books, including a medical text I could barely understand. I developed a new vocabulary but found few answers.

I asked every doctor along the way, every question possible. I felt sure God would show us the answers through medicine and science.

I wanted this fixed. I wanted my bright, bouncy son back. I wanted to tuck worry away in a drawer and no longer wear over my shoulders like a heavy winter coat.

Instead, we got a problem that lasted several years. There were many tests, wrong medicines, right medicines with breakthrough seizures, doctor changes, side effects, and hours of worry. 

In the end, a doctor’s confusing words began to make sense: “I guess they call it idiopathic because we doctors are idiots when it comes to figuring it out.”

Doctors are not idiots, neither are scientists, neither are politicians. This wasn’t a hoax; it wasn’t a plot; there were no evil people forcing their will on my child. 

It was epilepsy, the result of sinners living in a broken, sinful world. We found few answers. Rather, we found ourselves in a situation of merely doing our best and praying for God’s intervention. 

I didn’t find answers to my questions, but I did get an answer to my prayer.

Our current situation leaves us searching for answers from science, from medicine, from politics, or social media. When our sources do not agree, we become angry, or suspicious, or fearful. We want simple, clear answers, but instead we get confusion and accusation.

Politicians from both sides of the aisle are doing their best. This doesn’t mean that they aren’t making mistakes, but it is not helpful to assign evil intent.

Science and medicine seek answers but do not always have them. There is never one medical research study that gives the definitive answer – science doesn’t work that way. Science and medicine consult research, pose theories, devise practice, and dive in. The constant collection of data, during the process of an event, continues to inform the process. That is how the directive on masks changes over time. It is just an improvement in understanding. It is not a sign of everything from that source being incorrect. Nor is it a sign of evil intent.

In the end there is no perfect solution. Masks don’t work all the time. Social distancing doesn’t work all the time. What works for some people might not work for all. But, together, these practices make us safer than if we were to ignore them.

When we react in fear or anger, when we begin to believe and spread conspiracy, we are following a useless path.

I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. Philippians 4:11b

These are powerful words from a man who understood oppression and deprivation. Through all of his suffering, Paul found not anger or fear, but contentment. There is much that Philippians chapter four can teach us about how to find contentment in the age of COVID19.

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving  let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:4-6

Now is our chance to live these verses and not just recite or sing them!

Be reasonable: Avoid words of anger, blame, sarcasm, and insult. These words come from fear, and chronic fear rarely points us to the right answer. If you read or hear any of these emotional words – move on.

Do not be anxious: This is not the time to doubt God's providence in our world. Listen to and obey people in authority while you put your trust in God.

Let your request be made known to God: Study His word and pray. We must accept that even though God has blessed us with medical and scientific knowledge, the world is not a perfect source of answers. We will not find a COVID19 Bible verse, but we will find peace.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4: 8-9

Whatever is true: Sing hymns, memorize scripture, attend online services – do these things instead of reading questionable material on social media or listening to political pundits who get attention from shocking people with words that are shy of the truth.

Whatever is honorable: Stop fighting the people who seek to care for you. God does not promise to give us sinless politicians or infallible scientists. Instead, He cares for us through the life and work of people whose brokenness resembles ours. 

Whatever is lovely: Turn your attention toward the needs of others. Donate food to a food bank. Call or write an elderly couple from your church. Pray for caregivers and check on neighbors. God has given us many ways we can care for each other. When we are busy caring – our hearts do not have enough room for fear or anger to take up long-term residence.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7

This peace is Paul’s secret to finding contentment in every situation. God’s peace seeks to guard our hearts against anger, from fear, from distrust. God does not expect us to achieve this on our own. 

Our lives are hard in many ways, but our God is bigger than the hard things and tough situations. 

He is the God of answered prayers. He is the God of peace. He is the God of strength. 

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

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