Being Thankful For The Do Nots

As we prepare for Thanksgiving next week, it made me think about the traditional things we're thankful for: family and friends, homes, and jobs. However, recently I realized there's something less traditional that I’m thankful for: the ‘do nots’. Let me explain.

Too often, we can restrict our thankfulness to what we see as blessings. While this is understandable, it can also be limiting. From my brief list above, some might feel they have little to be thankful for if they lack family or friends to celebrate with or if their housing or job seems insecure. A thankfulness that extends beyond these circumstances must be discovered if we are to be genuinely thankful.

As you might expect, I believe that the only source of such thankfulness comes from a relationship with God. However, it still raises the question of how. How are we supposed to know God and respond with thankfulness? Part of the answer lies in the ‘do nots’.

Generally, I am more thankful for freedoms than for restrictions. When traveling, I am not thankful for speed limits or the TSA, but my lack of thankfulness comes from not seeing how they serve my benefit. Recognizing this, I should not only be thankful but also rejoice that others are looking out for my well-being, even when I do not appreciate it.

Let me take it a step further. I can be thankful for and recognize God’s love for me through His laws, like the 'do nots' of the 10 Commandments. Can we see how a 'no' might be spoken out of love? We know that it can.

Every parent understands that often ‘no’ is the most loving word we can say to our child. Although it might not be appreciated immediately, the ‘no’ is spoken for their protection or well-being. Sometimes it’s for their safety (can I ride in the trailer?), and other times it’s for their well-being (can I have dessert for dinner?). ‘No’ can be the most loving word because the person saying it loves us. That is what we see in Exodus 20 with the 10 Commandments.

Often, when reading the 10 Commandments, we skip the preface, and in doing so, we risk missing the foundation on which they are based. “I am the LORD your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.” (Exodus 20:2) Notice the relational aspect revealed in these words. First, it shows the relationship the Lord has with them as their God. Second, it reminds them of the love God demonstrated by rescuing them from slavery. With this relationship in mind, the Lord gave His commandments.

If we reject the pessimistic view that the Lord gave His commands to confine us, we will discover the love behind them. The first commandment calls us to know God, the living God of unwavering love. Understanding the Lord as our deliverer and protector, why should we want anyone else?

It’s similar to the seventh commandment, “Do not commit adultery.” We shouldn’t need to be told not to betray those who love us, and yet... The command isn't meant to restrict us but to protect us and our relationships. We should be thankful for the loving reminder the commandments give us that safeguards us from self-destruction.

If we look at all the commandments, we see they are given to protect our relationships. In Matthew 22, Jesus connects love and obedience to God's commands: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (37–40)

Because of Adam’s sin, what comes naturally is a self-destructive form of self-love. But in Christ, God shows us what pure love looks like: “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.” (Romans 5:8) We can be thankful for God’s commands, for they reveal His great love for us.

While it might not be appropriate to share our favorite of the 10 Commandments during our Thanksgiving dinner, we should rejoice in the love that the Lord’s commands reveal to us. God does not give His commands because He is judgmental; He gives them to show who He is and to remind us of the relationship that is given to all who believe in Christ.