Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. [Psalm 107:1 (NLT)]
It’s one thing to be grateful. It’s another to give thanks. Gratitude is what you feel. Thanksgiving is what you do. [Tim Keller]
When I was a girl (back in the days of pen, paper, and postage stamps), my mother insisted that I write a “thank you” note for any gifts I received. Whether my birthday or Christmas, I was not allowed to enjoy any gifts until the necessary notes had been written. Moreover, each note had to be personal. I couldn’t just write a quick generic, “Thank you for the nice present.” I had to say something specific about the gift and, if it was money, I had to say how I planned on using it. Even if the present was something I really didn’t like or want (and we’ve all had those kinds of gifts), I had to express gratitude. My mother reminded me that, while I might not value the gift, someone else’s time, thought, love, and money had gone into getting it for me. Therefore, I should take the time to properly acknowledge and show my appreciation for the giver’s generosity. Her “thank you” note rule also applied whenever someone did something special for me. If a family took me to an event or I’d spent the night at a friend’s house, a note of thanks had to be written.
Eventually, once I was old enough to buy the gifts, host the guests, and do the good turns and favors, I appreciated the time, energy, money, thought, and love that goes into those things. My mind set changed from “I have to write a note” to “I want to write a note.” Rather than an obligation, thanking someone became a privilege.
Whenever I get a note of thanks, I relish it, especially when it’s from a grand. Misspellings or poor penmanship don’t matter to me; I love knowing that they (and their parents) appreciate the gift and the love that came with it. Unfortunately, nowadays, people rarely write “thank you” notes or even send “thank you” emails. We seem to take people, their gifts, and kindness to us, quite for granted.
As rare as hand-written notes are today, how much rarer is it for us to remember to send our thanks regularly to our Father in Heaven? What if we couldn’t play with our toys, enjoy our health, use our talents, spend our money, live in our homes, hug our family, eat our food, use our intellect, or accept God’s grace until we had properly thanked him? The fourth Thursday in November may be our national day of thanksgiving, but every day should be a day of giving thanks. That means seriously thinking about our many blessings, specifying the gifts for which we are grateful, and then actually giving God our thanks and praise.
Later today, when you take that walk in a vain attempt to work off the extra 2,000 or more calories you consumed at dinner, try listing your blessings and offering your thanks as you walk. Chances are that you’ll still be thanking God for His gifts by the time you return home.
Silent gratitude isn’t very much use to anyone. [Gertrude Stein]
Devotions of the Heart 