Alright, you caught me. I’ll come clean and admit it: sometimes I have a tendency toward laziness.

Yes, I do have the capacity to work hard on a project or goal… sweating (literally and figuratively) every detail. But now and then I catch myself cutting corners… sliding by… giving 76 percent rather than 100… relying on my charm and rugged good looks instead of hard work to get the job done. 

For example, I will occasionally pick the level or downhill path rather than the steep, uphill one. I will freelance the assembly instructions rather than precisely following each prescribed step. I will reach back into the Knowledge Knapsack for an answer that seemed to work back in the day instead of taking the time to ponder the question anew. 

I’m the guy who has met very few shortcuts I did not fall instantly in love with.

Can you relate at all? Or are you the kind of person who buckles your chinstrap, grits your teeth, and dives right into the middle of every difficult task, never taking your foot off the gas until every “I” is dotted, and every “t” crossed?

If you are, this blog post is NOT for you. Today’s “Russelling” is for the people who need the gentle nudge of a cattle prod now and then to get them moving.

As I’m sure you have figured out by now, this post is also about Thanksgiving and the hard work of gratitude. 

Gratitude? Hard work? Excuse me? 

Yes. I meant what I said, and I said what I meant. If you are skeptical, answer me this: without the national holiday named Thanksgiving, how many times do you think you might have stopped in the past year – voluntarily – and GIVEN THANKS? 

Despite your very best intentions, how often have you put pen to paper and compiled a list of the things you are truly grateful for? Here is my answer to that question: I can probably count the number of times on the fingers of one hand.

Shameful, but true. And the reason is because I am LAZY! It is far easier for me to start complaining about everything that is wrong in the world and in my life than it is to list everything that I am deeply, profoundly grateful for.

Furthermore, complainers tend to draw bigger crowds than “thankers.” (Yes… I just made that word up. But you can borrow it if you’d like). Try it next time you find yourself in a gathering of friends and/or family. Start whining and complaining about _____________ (fill in the blank) and notice how many people join in your Crab Fest with their unique, curated perspectives on that Terrible Topic. 

Conversely, go to that same group and begin your conversation with, “You know… one of the things I am really grateful for right now is ____________,” and see how much traction you gain with that approach.

Complaining (or bitching… whining… moaning… or whatever you want to call it) is EASY. Living in a state of gratitude is hard. For one thing, people won’t believe you. They will accuse you of being a Pollyanna. They will say you are turning your back on the world’s pain. They will suspect you are trying to gain their confidence so you can sell them Amway stuff. 

And they will defend their own, cloudy outlook saying they are, “… just being realistic.”

The fact of the matter is that recognizing blessings and giving thanks for them is just as realistic as recognizing blemishes and complaining about them. Maybe MORE realistic, actually. In the words of the Apostle Paul, “… where sin increased, grace increased all the more.” (Romans 5:20b, NRSVU). 

So, beginning this Thursday and continuing for the rest of your life, resolve to do the hard stuff. GIVE THANKS! Resist the easy path of whining and moaning. Burn all the engraved invitations to your next Pity Party. 

Learn to see your gratitude work the same way you would any body-building exercise… something that seems tough and unnatural at first, but also as something aimed at producing a toned, finely sculpted spirit, pleasing to the eye of its Creator.

Abundant blessings;