Giving Thanks Like a Skater

Photo Credit: Isaac Cropsey

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As we approach this time of year, it feels like our city—from the East Side to the West—naturally leans into what God has called us to embrace all year long: Gratitude. Scripture tells us, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). 

Gratitude is “the will of God.” That means it’s what’s best for us.

This ancient wisdom is affirmed by modern science. For the past two decades, psychologists like Robert A. Emmons, along with researchers at Stanford and other universities, have studied the effects of gratitude on the body. Their findings show that people who regularly practice gratitude have lower blood pressure, healthier heart rates, better sleep, and reduced stress. 

If gratitude is what’s best, then why aren’t we more grateful all year round? Because we forget. 

We forget how blessed we are. We forget how short life is. So we naturally resort to focusing on accumulation. We make getting more and more for ourselves the goal, which makes us grumpy, not grateful. 

But during the holiday season, we know that we’re getting a few special days that only come around once a year and that will soon be gone. The short time we have for the holidays highlight what is truly important and enable us to live more gratefully and thus live more fully. 

I’ve seen this idea in action for the last couple of years in what some would assume is a very unlikely place. 

One of the most grateful places I’ve ever seen is the DIY skatepark at Poe Mill. Some of the most grateful people I’ve encountered are the skaters who use it, skating every day like it might be their last—because, any day now, it could be.

The skatepark was built by volunteers out of the rubble of the fire that burnt down the mill in the early 2,000s. For years, skaters have enjoyed the park, but in 2020, developers bought the land and announced plans to build luxury apartments over it. Now, four years later, it appears that construction is set to begin.

These skaters know that the skatepark was a gift that rose from the ashes. They also know their time there is short and getting shorter. The result of these circumstances? Gratitude. They skate with an incredible, admirable thankfulness, enjoying every last trick.

This gratitude was on display recently at Woodbine Studio, where dozens of portraits of the skaters, taken by photographer Zach Scuggs, hung on the walls as a tribute to the good times they’ve had. It was also evident during their last official skate contest this summer on “Go Skate Day.” 

When our life is about accumulating more and more, we usually end up sitting and sulking alone. Gratitude, on the other hand, leads us to joyfully engage and build up our community.

This is another hallmark of the skatepark. Through Shelter Skate Church, a ministry led by Josue Rodriguez, which you can follow on Instagram (@shelterskatechurch), the good news, and good cheer, has powerfully overflowed into the skatepark and out to the neighborhood every Monday night for years. 

The lesson of the Poe Mill skatepark is when we humbly acknowledge that everything we have, and every day we have with it, is a gift of grace - we can truly appreciate everything we receive to the fullest.

On the other hand, entitlement, a constant longing for more, a life of accumulation leads to angst and disappointment because, on this side of heaven, nothing lasts forever. 

Let’s pray for these skaters as they’re facing this change. Let’s learn from these skaters as we face our own changes, leaning on the Spirit to give us a consistent sense of blessedness. 

Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas! This season, let’s not just lean into gratitude—let's embrace it as a daily practice that shapes our hearts and minds. It’s what’s best for us.