Gratitude – Message by Pastor Steve Robinson

At Highlands, we believe that faith is a journey best traveled together. We exist to help people experience life with Jesus because at Highlands, we believe life with Jesus is the best way to live. Our vision is simple yet powerful: make disciples, love our communities, change the world. So come as you are and discover why so many say Highlands is home.

Hey, I want to welcome everybody to Highlands today. So if you're joining us from one of our campuses, if you're joining us online or on TV—man, welcome. You get to be a part of our family today as we dive into a cool message.

If you don't know me, I'm Steve Robinson, the Executive Pastor here, and it's always a blessing and a privilege to be able to share with you out of God's Word and maybe some of the stuff He's been dealing with me on over the last couple months of my life.

I hope and pray that everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving. I hope you got to hang out with some family, with some friends, and you enjoyed those moments and times. A couple months back, Pastor Tim was talking to me about today's message and mentioned that this is a great season to talk about gratitude. When we think about Thanksgiving, it's easy to get into gratitude—it’s easy when life is good. But God never makes it easy; He always wants us to learn and grow. He challenges us all the time.

Over the last couple months, He's put challenges on my heart. He really challenged me to look at what true gratitude is—not just gratitude when everything is good and fine and great, and we can praise God, but can you praise Him when it's not exactly perfect? When it’s not exactly great?

Last month I had the opportunity to go to the Ivory Coast. Anytime I leave the country—even though there are amazing places to go and learn and teach—God still puts in my heart a love for home. And when I get back home, I have such gratitude. I love the country I was born in. I love being in America and I'm thankful for it. I have a lot of gratitude for it.

I came back this time and was talking with a close friend, sharing about the trip and the different things that happened. Somehow our conversation went to an odd place—we started talking about our country, the safety of our country, the borders of our country, and all the situations happening there. I know at this time all that stuff can be so touchy.

But he had a story that challenged him—and it tugged at my heart too. He talked about a mom from Central America who traveled for months with her children up to our southern border, trying to get into our country. He said, “What must be going through that mom’s mind? How bad does it have to be for her to drag her children for months—maybe a thousand miles—to get to our border?”

And I could understand that. I could have compassion for that. Then he challenged me: “What would you do if it were your family? Would you be willing to sneak into another country illegally if it meant your children could live?”

Probably so. I probably would.

That challenged my heart and my gratitude. And hear me now: I believe in the protection of our border—so much so that years ago I suited up, wore a uniform in our Army, and served on our southern border. He showed pictures of me at the border—a barbed wire fence, a monument, patrol roads, our platoon sleeping under ponchos after patrolling all night loaded and ready for anything.

It was a privilege to protect our border. But at the same time, when I hear stories like that mother and children, it challenges my heart. I want to have mercy and compassion, but I also want to protect my family. That conversation made me rethink perspective. Circumstances shape perspective—and sometimes I get so locked into my own that I can't hear anyone else's.

What do we do as a church? We have a heart of compassion, mercy, and grace. That’s why we do missions. That’s why we go to Central America, the Middle East, Africa, Ukraine. We want to love, show mercy, and help people so much that they don’t want to flee their homes. We want to share the gospel so they have hope.

Today I'm not here to push politics—I’m here to remind you of Jesus’ perspective. No matter where you stand on border issues—everyone in, everyone out—if you're blessed enough to be born here, you should have gratitude. People risk everything trying to get into something you were born into. That’s grace.

The whole conversation challenged me and set me up for today’s message on gratitude. How do I change my perspective in hard situations?

Because if not, every time life gets hard, I throw up walls. Maybe you have too. Have you ever been betrayed? A close friend turned sideways on you? Hurts deeply. And it’s hard to forgive—so we build walls. Maybe someone disappointed you so badly that you don’t want to trust anymore—so you build walls. Maybe you experienced injustice, felt pushed aside, so you withdraw—another wall.

There’s a powerful story in Genesis about Joseph—a picture of gratitude and grace. Joseph was betrayed by his own brothers, sold into slavery, falsely accused, forgotten in prison. Yet Joseph did not build walls—he built bridges.

Joseph was a dreamer, favored by his father. His brothers hated him. In Genesis 37, his father Jacob loves him more than his other sons because he was born in old age. He gives Joseph an ornate robe, and his brothers can’t speak a kind word to him. Then Joseph has dreams—dreams implying his brothers will bow down to him—and that only makes things worse.

His brothers plot to kill him—but choose instead to throw him in a pit and sell him for 20 shekels of silver. Imagine that. Your own brothers selling you into slavery.

Joseph ends up in Potiphar’s house, rises in responsibility, but gets falsely accused when Potiphar's wife tries to seduce him. She grabs his cloak, he flees, she lies, and Joseph is thrown into prison. Yet even in prison, God is with him—raising him up in leadership over the prisoners.

The cupbearer and baker arrive in prison, have dreams, and Joseph interprets them. The cupbearer is restored and Joseph begs him, “Don’t forget me.” But he does. Joseph is forgotten for years.

You ever feel forgotten? Like you prayed and prayed and God wasn’t listening? Like you’re stuck in a cycle with no breakthrough?

Joseph could have said, “God, when is it enough? I did everything right. I stayed faithful. I trusted You. Why am I still in prison?”

But Joseph never broke. He trusted that God was working behind the scenes.

Eventually the cupbearer remembers Joseph, Pharaoh calls him to interpret dreams, and Joseph is elevated to second in command over all of Egypt. He manages the seven years of abundance and prepares for seven years of famine.

Then the moment of truth—his brothers arrive in Egypt for food. They bow before him, fulfilling his dream. Joseph recognizes them—they do not recognize him. He remembers the betrayal—the pit, the slavery, the false accusations, the prison. He had the power to destroy them. But he doesn’t.

He chooses mercy.

He weeps. He forgives. And he says, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good.”

Perspective.

Sometimes it’s not about changing your circumstances but changing your perspective within them. Gratitude shifts our eyes from the glass being half empty or half full to recognizing that God is in the glass at all.

Gratitude transforms suffering into purpose. It keeps our hearts open. Bitterness builds walls; gratitude builds bridges. Gratitude turns loss into legacy.

When you're in the pit, be grateful—it’s not punishment; it's preparation. When you’re wrongly accused, be faithful. When you feel stuck in prison, be patient. And when you finally reach the palace, be humble.

True gratitude is thanking God not just when life is good but when it hurts—because He is still good.

How to Grow Gratitude

1. Remember God’s faithfulness. Look back at when God carried you.

2. Speak gratitude daily. Start your morning thanking Him for a few things.

3. Forgive freely. Forgiveness frees both you and others.

4. Serve others. Joseph’s life was marked by service—at home, in Potiphar’s house, in prison, and in Pharaoh’s palace.

Joseph’s story points to someone greater—Jesus. Jesus too was betrayed, rejected, falsely accused, and handed over by those He loved. He could have built a wall on the cross—but instead He built the greatest bridge of all, from earth to heaven.

At the cross, Jesus said, “Father, forgive them.” Gratitude and grace on display.

Because of Jesus’ bridge, we can be reconciled to God. The veil was torn from top to bottom, giving us direct access to the Father.

So when you’ve been wronged—don’t build a wall. Build a bridge. When life disappoints you—build a bridge. When you don’t understand—build a bridge toward God.

Don’t let the enemy trap you behind bitterness. Gratitude opens your eyes to what God is doing behind the scenes.

Joseph’s story challenges us to invite others into hope. Surveys say that 80% of people are receptive to an invitation to church. Don’t assume someone doesn’t want to be invited. Pastor Steve shared how his grandfather wondered if he was “too far gone” because a neighbor had never invited him.

Don’t let someone wonder that. Give them a chance.

Steve himself said no to church invitations for a year and a half—until one day he said yes. And it changed everything.

Your invitation could change someone’s eternity.

We have invite cards for Christmas services and Candlelight. And for everyone online or in person, you can use the Invite button in the HF app to send a text directly.

Everyone needs hope. Everyone needs the gospel. Share it.

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, I thank You so much for the gratitude that You speak into our lives, the hope that You give us, and the challenges that You give us. God, let me see a different perspective. Let my heart not become so righteous or self-assured that I am blind to others. Let me not forget love and mercy. When someone is hurting or struggling, God, Your heart hurts—and if it hurts Your heart, it should hurt mine.

Let me truly have gratitude even when I hurt and have pain, to see how good You are. For those far from You who don’t fully understand the gratitude of You dying on the cross—give them a glimpse today. You died for me, Jesus. That was for me. I accept what You gave. Forgive me—I have sinned and made wrong choices, but today I choose to follow You.

I may fall, but God, pick me back up, dust me off, teach me gratitude, teach me to love others, and help me keep moving forward. Give me the courage and strength to share my hope. Let me build bridges, not walls. Let me make an impact.

We love You. We praise You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.