In the Christian community thankfulness is just what it
is anywhere else in the Christian life. Only he who gives thanks for the
little things receives the big things. We prevent God from giving us the
great spiritual gifts He has in store for us, because we do not give
thanks for daily gifts. We think we dare not be satisfied with the small
measure of spiritual knowledge, experience, and love that has been given
to us, and that we must constantly be looking forward eagerly for the
highest good. Then we deplore the fact that we lack the deep certainty,
the strong faith, and the rich experience that God has given to others,
and we consider this lament to be pious.
We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks
for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts. How can God
entrust great things to one who will not thankfully receive from Him the
little things? If we do not give thanks daily for the Christian fellowship
in which we have been placed, even where there is no great experience, no
discoverable riches, but much weakness, small faith, and difficulty; if on
the contrary, we only keep complaining to God that everything is so paltry
and petty, so far from what we expected, then we hinder God from letting
our fellowship grow according to the measure and riches which are there
for us all in Jesus Christ.
12
The
following is from the writings of Dietrich Bonhoffer, the German Lutheran
Pastor who was martyred near the end of World War II.