A book review of The Grumbler’s Guide to Giving Thanks: Reclaiming the Gifts of a Lost Spiritual Discipline by Dustin Crowe
Stars: *****
Moody Publishers (2020)
Christian Spiritual Growth
176 pages
Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This post contains affiliate links.
Summary: The apostle Paul instructed the Philippians to be anxious in nothing and thankful in everything. And when he said everything—he meant everything. We can all agree that this is easier said than done. Disappointments and discontent may cause you to slip into dissatisfaction, and grumbling becomes a state of mind—gratitude seems impossible to find. However, what if this is the precise reason you lack the joy of a God-filled life? Instead of a reaction to when things are going well, what if gratitude is actually necessary to knowing the hope of our gracious God?
This is exactly what Pastor Dustin Crowe identifies in The Grumbler’s Guide to Giving Thanks. Dustin examines the biblical foundations of thankfulness and traces how it can reshape every-day Christian living. When we express gratitude in all things, we not only praise our Creator, we also get to know Him better. With The Grumbler’s Guide, you’ll learn how to practice thanksgiving in both simple and extraordinary ways, even when you’re tempted to dwell on the negative. You’ll find your outlook on life realigned to see the hand of God in everything, strengthening your trust in Him. And in doing so, you’ll find greater, more joy-filled reasons to continue expressing thanks to our good and generous God.
Grumbler’s Guide to Giving Thanks
We should be giving thanks more than one day a year. As a Canadian, my Thanksgiving is in October and since the book has American authors, it mentions Thanksgiving as November. However the purpose of the book is to show that we should be giving thanks more than one day a year. It also is about giving thanks the right way.
Gratitude Quiz
The book starts with a Gratitude Quiz so you can see how you are doing. Questions are such things as: “When things don’t go your way, do you typically respond (A) in gratitude or (B) in grumbling? and Would you say you tell God thanks (A) daily or (B) less than daily? and When you see things others have that you don’t, do you (A) rest in what God has given you or (B) struggle with jealousy?
Thankfulness
The basis behind the book is teaching 4 parts to thankfulness.
- Thankful
- Thankful to God
- Thankfulness to God expressed
- Thankfulness to God leading to joy in God
At the end of each chapter is a Putting it into Practice part with some simple steps you can do to make a difference in how you are grateful.
You’ll have to read the book to get the full explanation but these four steps made me think about thankfulness in a new way. It’s not enough to just be thankful in my head or to just be thankful in general.
The best part I think was this:
“Groaning and gratitude can coexist. We don’t have to choose between tears and thanks. In hard things, we can ask God for help and tell Him thanks. We can lament what’s broken or painful while giving thanks for good things, even if that’s God’s presence, provision, or plan. Since thanksgiving is God-centered rather than gift-centered, we can give thanks in all seasons and circumstances.”
The Grumbler’s Guide to Giving Thanks pg 148
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