As children we were taught to say thank you when someone presented you with a gift or did something nice for you. We would get into trouble if we were caught receiving without speaking the necessary words of thanks.
"Tell her thank you" was something I heard more than I cared to. Don't get me wrong, there is something to be said about the tendency to speak words of appreciation. But shouldn't the emphasis actually be on being thankful? How many times have you said thank you without any appreciation at all?
I can tell you that I do it a lot. I say thank you without a thought because those words were a part of good teaching not because I am always appreciative of what has been offered. I do it most often with people, but I've also done it with God. I've said thank you Lord for saving me and followed it up with longing thoughts for my former life. I've said thank you Lord for my life and drove recklessly in my car in what seemed like an effort to loose it. Then there are the many times in the sanctuary where someone said to the congregation "tell the Lord thank you". Of course I obediently did without any thought whatsoever about what I was thanking God for.
I moved my lips because I was told to and I didn't want to be the person who did not speak. Now I wonder would it not have been better for me to be quiet. Should I have taken a moment to think about what I was thankful for? I just told you that I say it without meaning it. So, would it have hurt to really think about what I valued, what I appreciated, and what I was speaking thanks over?
Giving thanks should be genuine not a part of a routine learned in childhood or a call and response offered in the sanctuary. The question I'm asking myself now is how do I get to the place where I know the difference?
Adayinthelife:-)
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