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I can’t be the only one who notices that lately saying ‘Thank you’ has gone down the drain, right along with bringing a gift for your host or hostess, or even people hosting parties anymore. It’s sad. But not saying that you’re grateful for something that’s been given to you is even more than just sad, its selfish. And I have reasons! Oh boy do I have reasons. Wait, that doesn’t sound right. Of course I’m selfish sometimes. But I don’t have reasons for why I’m selfish. I have reasons....oh, never mind. Just read on (Thank you).
Being one of those people who are forced to get out of bed at the unnatural time of 4:30am every other Friday to drive to a satellite office, I have the oh so wonderful pleasure of riding with my fellow co-workers and boss together, while we listen to a mix station that I absolutely detest. Ah, it’s a great motivator to wake up in the dark :) Inevitably, the station has some sort of early morning contest going on for callers, and of course, someone always wins. Hooray for them, can I go back to sleep now? But then they win something big, never mind the fact that they had the stroke of luck to dial exactly at the right time to become the winner, and the prize is usually something like a trip to Belize or concert tickets or $500. Amazing, right? Who wouldn’t be psyched to get that just by dialing a number and being alive? But oh, no... these callers say their name, where they live, and once they find out they won, their shockingly bland and unexcited answer is usually: “Oh wow. Great. That’s really cool.” and then the DJ goes on to the next song. Hello?? Did I miss something? Where was the Thank You! But the truth is, the thank you is just not there a whole lot anymore, in many areas. Have we given up being thankful?
I think as a Christian it’s especially important to be thankful. On a daily basis for even the small things, like breathing or for not falling down the stairs in your ridiculous 5-inch heels, but also on a continuous basis for the grace God has shown you and extended to you. Grace is not something that is equated with thankfulness too often, but I see them as two halves of a whole. Without God’s grace, we’d be sunk. Life would really cease to exist in many ways. And if we hadn’t been shown God’s grace when He sent His son to die for US, then I don’t know where we’d be. So how could you not be thankful after hearing all this? Grace is being given something you need, but don’t deserve. I grew up being taught all the Miss Manners things, such as when you hear someone sneeze, you say ‘God bless you’ as a courtesy, and when someone gives you something or does something for you in a positive way, you say thank you! I always supposed everyone did life this way, and thought as I did. But get out into the world for a while as an adult, and you find that not everyone is thankful.
Entitlement! Oh, it’s big. More and more people are feeling entitled these days. I don’t know why, blame it on the economy or Hollywood or whatever you want, but entitlement is not going away any time soon, and it’s just plain annoying to me. For some reason, people just automatically are assuming that they are entitled to this, or that, or to anything and everything! So when it's given to them, they are entitled to it anyway, so why say thank you, right? Ha. Wrong. Who thinks they’re entitled to anything, really? Beyond basic human rights, of course, and things confined in the governed laws, but beyond that, we as humans are not entitled to a darn thing. We should be thankful for banks taking us on as customers, or that the local grocers carries the kind of apples we like. Where’s the thanks to the guys who pick up your trash every week, or the person emptying garbage cans at work? I know it sounds like I’m ranting, but really I just want to shake my head and wonder aloud why we aren’t saying thank you at least 10 times a day. Everyone likes to be thanked, and I’d say this day in age, some people would literally fall over if thanked.
So may I suggest to you that next time you win something, or receive a surprise in the mail, or have someone cook a meal for you (even if they cook for you all the time! Hint: Your mom.), or maybe even just the person who holds the elevator for you: Smile and say thank you and genuinely mean it. You’ll not only be reflecting your inner attitude and Christ-like posture, but it will remind you of the grace you’re extending to others, and to which you have been extended to as well.
Thank you.
