What does gratitude look like? It starts with being trained as a child to say, “Thank you,” for acts of kindness directed toward you. You remember when you Mother would ask you, “Now what do you say?” while you were ripping open the candy wrapper. “Thank you” was the correct response. When you received anything that was a gift you were supposed to respond with those appropriate words. The few times you decided to leave off the magic words of “please” and “thank you,” it was always met with a stern reminder. I believe we are conditioned and trained to be grateful until we are old enough tounderstand the power in the principle of gratitude.

We are living in a time where this principle is not taught enough. Being taught how to be grateful for the small things makes us grateful for all things. If this principle is not taught, then you have a generation of people that grow up thinking that everything is owed to them from cradle to grave. We were taught to be grateful for employment. A job meant income and opportunity that, in turn, could better your life. No job was “beneath” you when you first started working. You were just grateful for the chance to earn income. I believe what started as our nation’s safety net to the poor has now become a snare to their souls. Not all are ungrateful. However, the system is not meant to be used as a living but just a help till some can get back on their feet. It is hard to be grateful when things are expected. It ceases to be a gift but is now a right, and therefore, no gratitude is needed. That piece of candy that someone gave you as a child did not have much value, but the “thank you” kept it in perspective as a gift.

The gratitude principle has to be undergirded with humility. Humility of heart produces wise choices. If we see this life as a gift, then we do not live it as if the world owes us. Learning how to give thanks for the opportunities that come our way will go a long way. Promotion is found when we kneel with a heart of gratitude. That is a choice of humility. I am reminded of the story of the ten lepers that Jesus encountered in Luke 17. The story said Jesus was passing by the lepers and they cried out for healing. He told them to go show themselves to the priest; as they went they were healed. Only one came back to Jesus to thank Him. Jesus asked about the other nine. Where were they? Where was their gratitude? It is pointed out that the one who did come back to give thanks was a foreigner. He was a Samaritan. He was obviously taught to say “Thank you,” where the others stopped at “Please.” The principle of gratitude was active in the Samaritan leper because he made a choice of humility and returned to thank Jesus. He was not only healed of leprosy but found healing for his soul through gratitude.

We know life is not fair. Life is full of good times and bad. One cannot wait for life to become fair in order to show gratitude. We must practice it now with the small blessings we receive each day. We have to learn the power of gratitude in learning to “give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:18) God is good all the time! Have your thanked God and others in your life? I remind you of your Mother’s question, Now what do you say?

~Pastor Donny