1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus

Give thanks, no matter what is happening in your life. This is easy…right?

A national polling firm named Penn, Schoen, & Berland conducted a survey, mid-2012, evaluating American attitude toward thankfulness. They conducted more than 2,000 interviews across the US general population. I’m only going to share a few pieces of the overall report:

• 90% of people said they would describe themselves as people who are generally grateful for their family and friends
  
• However, only 52% of women and 44% of men express any thankfulness regularly
  
• 60% say when they do express thankfulness, they do it to make themselves feel good

Where is the one place people are least likely to express gratitude? WORK

• 74% of the 2000 respondents never or rarely show gratitude at work (for anything)
  
• 70% want their boss to be thankful for them (even though they don’t express thanks)
  
• 81% would work harder if they were thanked by their boss or company

Based on this survey, that hardest circumstance to give thanks exists in and around the workplace. Isn’t that amazing? The place we spend the most waking hours (about 2,200 hours per year, about 110,000 hours in working lifespan) we aren’t thankful for. Wow!

The truth is our career is not just a way to make a living - it’s a way to transform the world. It’s the place God placed us so that we could make the biggest difference in our service to him.

Contentment

Hebrews 13:5-6 Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU,” so that we confidently say, “THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?

This passage holds a profound truth. It actually connects loving money with fear of man. Loving money is so closely associated with fear of man because of the deep seated insecurity of shame that resides in each of us.

Think about what it would be like, God forbid, to live in poverty or to be homeless. Talk about insecurity and shame. We, in our human nature, are afraid to not be accepted by other people. We deeply desire to fit in. We want to be viewed as healthy and desirable and important.

And somewhere along the way we came to believe money is the way to get us there. That’s “the deceitfulness of wealth.” Money can’t buy happiness.

The Real Secret

Philippians 4:11-13 11 Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

There is one key word that appeared in both passages. CONTENT

Paul (who wrote Philippians and likely wrote Hebrews) learned the secret – the real secret – is contentment, the state of being mentally or emotionally satisfied with things just as they are.

This is the secret - the idea of being thankful in our circumstances. That includes the one circumstance we tend to be least thankful for - our career circumstance.

And Paul teaches us how he learned the secret of contentment earlier in the same chapter:

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

When it comes to your career circumstances, take time to reflect and understand what it is you deeply desire, map it out and present it to God, petition him thoughtfully, intentionally, purposefully.

You can be thankful and content, where 75% are miserable, by praying, petitioning and presenting to God with a thankful heart.

God is in control

Contentment comes as we are reminded God is in control.

Proverbs 19:21 Many are the plans in a man’s heart but the Lord’s purpose prevails.

Let’s stop and think of it for a moment: Knowing that God is my employer, imagine what He will do through your career.

Being content means we strive to live with less material things instead of desiring more. We give away out of our abundance instead of accumulating things. We relish what we have instead of resenting what we are missing. Contentment through thankfulness is the exact opposite of materialism.

When we stop being thankful (actually saying 'Thank You,' out loud, to God and others, for all we already have) we provide the soil for insecurity. And this leads to the love of money whether we are rich or poor.

Living in a spirit of thankfulness – expressing thankfulness - means trusting God to provide for all our needs. This is when we start giving back – like Paul did – this is the soil for generosity.

People who are thankful, who are content with what they have, are the most generous. Let’s live life thankful for what we have, with a spirit of contentment in your present circumstance. Then, as God increases your storehouses, you won’t hesitate to give more and more to the spreading of the gospel.

Shawn Sommerkamp is a motivational speaker and Executive Coach with 20+ years of Fortune 100 leadership experience. He founded Motivationeer™ to coach Christian professionals how to bring the power of Christ’s word, as the foundation of career success, into corporate and small business America.