Gratitude Goggles

Nov 25, 2021

Happy Thanksgiving, church! Today, we set aside time to be with the ones we love and to reflect on all of the good things we have. We have the opportunity to reevaluate our perspective.

About a year ago, I had to stop wearing my contacts for several weeks due to an eye infection I had. I began wearing my 6-year-old glasses with an outdated prescription because my contacts would cause severe discomfort. The prescription was far too weak, I couldn’t see as well, and within days, the glasses that were supposed to spare me from the pain caused by contacts, had me suffering through intense headaches. My eyes were being strained, and I needed an updated pair so I could see clearly.

When my new pair of glasses finally arrived on my doorstep, I can’t even describe the relief when I put them on. It was such a stark difference that I was instantly in tears. My vision was crystal clear, the headaches stopped, and I was able to see.

This Thanksgiving, I think we need to take a look at our prescription. We live in a world that is constantly focused on what we’re lacking, and how we can acquire more.

We look at life through a lens of want, rather than from a place of contentment.

This greed clouds our vision and makes it hard to see the blessings in front of us and causes us deep pain.

Friend, it’s time you update your prescription! God is inviting you to reevaluate your perspective today and put on a new pair of glasses - some “gratitude goggles,” if you will!

It is so beautiful to spend one holiday being thankful, but what would life look like if a sense of gratitude permeated our lives 365 days a year?

Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

- Psalm 106:1

At least 24 different psalms give specific commands or examples of thanksgiving. This book of vulnerable, honest prayers and songs has a consistent theme of gratitude. I think we can learn from the writers in the book of Psalms and begin praying and thinking from a place of gratitude.

What if, in all of our circumstances, we first focused on what we have, rather than what we don’t?

Today, I challenge you to put on some gratitude goggles. Write down a list of some of the things that you are thankful for. And, as you navigate life this week, when the wanting comes up, when you think of something you don’t have, when you feel the insecurities surface, go back to that list. Update your prescription. Let God help you see clearly. And thank Him!

And friend, I know it’s hard. I know there might be things standing in the way of feeling thankful.

But sometimes we have to choose it before we feel it. Sometimes gratitude starts with putting on the glasses, then the vision will follow.

And if you’re having trouble making that list, may I remind you of something true?

Jesus Christ died for you. He shed his blood to wipe away your sins and iniquities. He has offered you eternal love, peace, and life with Him. And, He is by your side each and every day. Let’s put that at the top of the list. Let’s thank Him for that. Let’s go back to that truth when the world tells us we’re lacking. Because with Jesus, we have everything we could ever need.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.