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[Smaug]

Is it wrong to be thankful for blessings from God?

I'm a Christian, married to a woman who believes in God, but doesn't believe Jesus is God. This hurdle makes for some very interesting conversations in our house. One such conversation we had was when I mentioned to her that I'm very thankful for all God has blessed me and my family with over the years. To put it in perspective, we have 4 very good/healthy children, a home and several vehicles, good paying jobs and have had no real drama in our 12 years of being together.

This was received by her as disgusting behavior, and very disappointing to her that I felt this way. Her position was, how could I give God thanks for giving me the good life while others in the world suffer on a daily basis? I was really taken aback by her reaction and am still in shock, to be honest. I do not know how to respond to such a statement and thought it best to just move on from the discussion. But deep down inside me it had me wondering if maybe I was taking things for granted and shouldn't be feeling thankful for everything God has gifted me and my family because there are others out there suffering. It reminded me a bit about the book of Job and how he looked at God as means to an end and how he didn't truly walk WITH God. Am I falling into the same rut as Job? Is my being genuinely thankful for what I consider blessings really disrespectful in any way to God? Or to my fellow man who may be suffering?

[jimwalton]

Ephesians 5.20: "Always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

1 Thessalonians 5.18: "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4.6: "Don't be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

Colossians 3.17: "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

The Bible consistently teaches that it is right to be thankful for blessings from God. The needs and inadequacies of other people is not supposed to make us ungrateful for what we have, but rather motivate us to help them as we are able.

Jesus said there will always be poor people (Mt. 26.11). The problem of pain in humanity cannot be totally eliminated. But our task is not to be ungrateful for what we have, but instead to help as much as we can to meet their needs. Jesus often teaches that we shouldn't neglect the poor or be indifferent to them. But that shouldn't interfere with our gratitude of praise (the 4 verses I listed) or our capacity to worship.