Giving thanks to the Lord is a Biblical commandment, but so often we flounder, wondering how to do this and why this is mentioned so frequently. Some have even wondered if it is not rather egotistical of God to tell us to do this so often, rather like an insecure woman asking her beloved for frequent reassurances of his devotion.
Thanksgiving is necessary not to boost God’s ego, but to give us clarity in perspectives. By focussing on who God is and on what He has done, we develop our ‘long’ vision, our ability to see beyond our noses, so to speak! We learn to stand on the rock rather than sink into shifting sands (see Ps 40:1-2). We learn to engage with the ultimate reality instead of basing our lives on moving fantasies. We learn a ‘long obedience in the same direction’, to quote Nietzsche, and thus we have the capacity to become stable, mature people.
Giving thanks puts God in the centre of our lives and our universe. Our ego is displaced and we recognise who God is and whose we are. Giving thanks shapes and moulds our character, making us people who are unselfish, kind and positive – and generally nicer to get along with, because God’s character is shaping ours!