Are you thankful only when you compare, or are there also times when you’re just plain thankful? This is a question most of us have probably never asked ourselves, but we all should—especially on Thanksgiving Day.

Almost everybody in the world is thankful when they compare: for example, when they compare their standard of living to the standard of living of people in poor countries like Haiti; or when they compare their relatively good health to the health of a terminally ill cancer patient; or even when they compare their own personal problems with the more severe ones that others face in their lives. They’re grateful because they realize that, as the old saying goes, "There’s always someone worse-off than you are."

I experienced this kind of thankfulness recently in the aftermath of my shoulder surgery. As most of you know, I had to live with my arm in a sling for 3 weeks after the operation. Was it annoying? Yes. Was it an inconvenience? You bet. Did it drive me nuts? Yes, although it was a very short trip, as you might imagine. And yet, in the midst of it all, I was exceedingly grateful—grateful that this was only a temporary situation. I knew that the sling, as uncomfortable as it was, would be off before the end of the month. Others, of course, are not so fortunate. They live with permanent handicaps and disabilities. For them, "the sling," so to speak, will never come off (barring a miracle). So during these weeks I often said, "Lord, I thank you for the good health I’ve enjoyed for 45 years, and I thank you that this setback is only temporary. When I compare myself with people who have serious, chronic health problems, I realize just how blessed I’ve been."

It’s normal—and usually not sinful—for us to compare ourselves with others in this way. But we need to remember that it’s actually possible at times to commit a sin in the midst of this type of gratitude. A perfect example of what I’m talking about is found in the famous parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, which Jesus tells in Luke 18. Remember what the Pharisee said when he entered the Temple? Remember what he said to God—in prayer—as he compared himself to the tax collector (and everybody else)? These were his words: "O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income."

That’s pride disguised as gratitude; and, by any other name, pride is a sin! He should have stopped after he said, "O God, I thank you."

Are you thankful only when you compare, or are there also times when you’re just plain thankful?

As I said a few moments ago, it’s normal to compare and be thankful; but, hopefully, this is not the only time we’re grateful. Sometimes we also need to be "just plain thankful:" that is to say, we need to be grateful simply because we’re conscious of God’s unconditional love and his many blessings. You see, if we’re only thankful when we’re making comparisons, we’re in danger of becoming bitter, angry, unhappy people. Why? It’s simple. If I’m comparing myself to someone who has less than I do, I will be peaceful and serene. That should be obvious. But what will happen if the comparison involves someone who has a lot more than I do? Answer: I’ll get angry, frustrated, and maybe even a bit envious. I’ll say to myself, "Why don’t I have what he has? Why do I have so many problems while he has so few? Why did he get all the breaks in his life and why didn’t I get any in mine?"

This, you will remember, became George Bailey’s problem in the film, "It’s a Wonderful Life" (which is sure to be on television 150 times during the next four weeks—so get ready!). Why did George come to the point where he wanted to kill himself? It’s because he was constantly comparing himself with others who had opportunities that he didn’t have. He wanted to see the world and be successful like his friend Sam Wainwright, but he rarely was able to travel out of his hometown of Bedford Falls; he wanted to go to college like his brother Harry, but circumstances kept him from doing that. These comparisons dragged him down emotionally for years and years. It was only after his encounter with Clarence, the angel, that he finally saw beyond the comparisons and realized that he had a wonderful life (hence, the title of the movie). At last, George Bailey became "just plain thankful"—like the healed leper in today’s Gospel story. Notice that in the midst of all that happened he compared himself with no one; he simply accepted the Lord’s gift, rejoiced in it, and then went back to Jesus to say, "Thank you."