What good is done by a parent telling an ungrateful or shy child to say, "Thank you"? The child may dutifully murmur "Thank you" but everyone knows it wasn't heartfelt! Sometimes the parent may intend to demonstrate that their precious child is well-mannered but just momentarily forgot! More often he/she is trying to instill a habit in the child—a "gratitude attitude," we call it. Saying the words is important, but having the attitude is even greater and it isn't really all that hard to develop it:
Someone says, "I'm freezing!" (It's 57° outside.)
"But isn't this a wonderful change from 109°?"
"But they did fix the big pothole at the end of the block."
"We're out of milk for the cereal!"
"Okay, I'll have toast and juice for breakfast."
Are you put off by the idea of seeming like a Pollyanna? That's no problem. One needn't always say "Thank you" out loud; just smile and let everyone else wonder what you're thinking!
A spoken thanks, though, nurtures relationships with other people: with family members, co-workers, and those who serve us in shops and restaurants. This is not a new idea, of course, but we should never outgrow the early lesson of a parent telling us, "Say 'Thank you.' "
And don't forget God! In our adulthood, we sometimes get too complicated. What if we expressed our thanks for everything that gladdened us? "Thank You for the world so sweet. Thank You for the food we eat. Thank You for the birds that sing. Thank you, God, for everything!" The Apostle Paul wrote, "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (I Thessalonians 5:18)
"Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." (Abraham Lincoln) And part of that is learning to think always and to say often, "Thank you."
MaryMartha
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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