The Pixie Quilt (shown here) was made by me for two friends of mine. It was given to them on the occasion that I, with my family, were able to visit and enjoy their generous hospitality back in January 2004. The quilt illustrates a poem I had written (dare I admit to that?) about a little pixie who contemplates something of both a worldly and spiritual nature, and comes to the realization of an important spiritual truth.

In his book “True Spirituality” (1971) Dr Francis Schaeffer (1912-1984) discusses this same spiritual truth, pointing out significant connections between covetness and the lack of thankfulness that underlies this sin, and how it interfers with substantial healing in one’s relationship with God (and others). In simple terms, it works like this…

We are by nature selfish creatures, prone to putting ourselves first, putting ourselves in the centre, and wanting for ourselves those things we do not have. The Tenth Commandment tells us we are not to covet. To covet means to want that which is not ours, that to which we have no claim and no entitlement. God is our Creator, the Creator of the universe and it is He, sovereign over all, who has sole authority to decide all matters concerning us. Covetness arises from a dissatisfaction with what we have already, and the envying of others accordingly. It arises from a lack of gratitude for what we have already. That does not mean we are to ignore our needs and not ask for them to be met, nor ask for good things on behalf of others. The Lord’s Prayer includes such asking, and we are told to ask in faith and as God ordains, so it will be given. Covetness is sinful desire, something quite different again.

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The Bible tells us in many places that we are to be thankful, to give thanks, and even to give thanks for all things. While it may not be too difficult to give thanks for those things that we want, like having, and happen to enjoy, we are actually instructed to do more than that.

Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(Ephesians 5:19,20)

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

We are to give thanks for everything, and to give thanks in all circumstances. This is the crunch. How inclusive should we consider those words? Dr Schaeffer points out another verse which also mentions “all things” and we cannot accept the comfort of the following verse without keeping the same meaning in the ones above.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
(Romans 8:28)

But surely we should not be thankful for those things that have gone wrong, that have hurt and upset us, that are causing problems for ourselves and those whom we love?

Well… that’s not what it says in the Bible. And if you are going to take any notice of those verses (and many more like them) just quoted, then how can you reconcile this disturbing thing?

Reconciliation occurs when you consider the role of trust in your relationship with God. Dr Schaeffer explains it this way…

Two things are immediately involved here, if we are to see this in the Christian framework rather than a non-Christian one. The first is that as Christians we say we live in a personal universe, in the sense that it was created by a personal God. Now that we have accepted Christ as our Savior, God the Father is our Father. When we say we live in a personal universe and God the Father is our Father, to the extent that we have less than a trusting attitude we are denying what we say we believe. We say that, as Christians, we have by choice taken the place of creatures before the Creator, but as we show a lack of trust, we are exhibiting at that moment, in practice, we have not really so chosen.

The second thing we must comprehend in order to understand a contented heart in the Christian framework, rather than a non-Christian one, is illustrated by Camus’s dilemma in “The Plague“. As Christians we say we live in a supernatural universe and that there is a battle, since the fall of man, and that this battle is in both the seen world and the unseen world. This is what we say we believe; we insist on this against the naturalists and against the anti-supernaturalists. If we really believe this, first, we can be contented and yet fight evil, and second, surely it is God’s right to put us as Christians where he judges best in the battle.

In a Christian understanding of contentment, we must see contentment in relation to these things. To summarize, there is a personal God. He is my Father since I have accepted Christ as my Savior. Then surely when I lack trust, I am denying what I say I believe. At the same time, I say there is a battle in the universe, and God is God. Then, if I lack trust, what I am really doing is denying in practice that he has a right, as my God, to use me where he wants in the spiritual battle that exists in the seen and the unseen world. The trust and contentment must be in the Christian framework, but in the proper framework the contentment is deeply important.

If the contentment goes and the giving of thanks goes, we are not loving God as we should, and proper desire has become coveting against God [wanting to grant for ourselves what He alone has authority to decide to grant].

True Spirituality, pp 10,11 (Tyndale, 1971)

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
(Romans 1:21)

And so we also come to know life without the joy of a substantially healed relationship with God when we forget to give thanks in all things, even those things that throw our plans awry and cause us heartbreak and grief.

Pixie knew that he had found the answer to his quest;
How he was always certain, at peace and richly blest.
He trusted God beyond all doubt, gave thanks in everything
With praise and humble gratitude, his joy was never ceasing.