“…giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ…” Ephesians 5:20

Thankfulness

When I was a child, my mother taught me to respect a person who gave me a gift by being properly thankful. I thanked them in person, and followed up with a note. I can’t say I enjoyed this duty, but it was considered good manners, and I was expected to have good manners whether I liked the gift or not!

I recently observed two very different responses to gift-giving. The first was at my grandson’s birthday dinner when we presented him with two very nice gifts. He is elementary-school aged and certainly old enough to have been taught to show appreciation for gifts given to him. But he didn’t; he tossed them on the nearest chair and ran outside to play with a friend, never looking back. He was hoping for more.

Contrast this with a moment I observed during the Good Friday service at church. A little girl about two years old, dressed in her Sunday best, was standing by her grandma in front of an empty chair. On the other side of the empty chair sat a family friend. The little girl was restless, walking back and forth between the two adults. Finally, the family friend pinched off a tiny piece of pita bread and handed it to the child. She turned toward her grandma to show the precious gift, and I caught a glimpse of her face. She was grinning and her eyes were squinty as she clutched the gift to her chest; she bent at the knees as if she could not stand up with the joy she was feeling. She was “all in” that rapturous moment.

My grandson is certainly the product of an entitlement culture and his parents’ inconsistent attempts to train him. I can almost say, “it’s not his fault.” By contrast, the little girl showed true thankfulness.

I saw myself in these two children. Sometimes I receive the gifts of God without real gratitude; His provision often seems so common, so expected, that I forget to thank Him—indeed, to my shame, I do not feel thankful.

But when He gives the extraordinary, the supernatural, the unexpected, then I am filled with gratitude. I rejoice at answers to long-prayed-for requests. I am filled with wonder that He would give me spiritual gifts, that He would bring forth fruit in my life, that He would use me to do kingdom works. That He would DIE to save me!

My grandson would be happy with the gift of a bike, but not with a crust of pita bread.

I want to rejoice at the crust of bread! May I be truly thankful for all that He gives! May I never consider His gifts as common.

Father, we repent of our unthankful attitudes. Forgive us, and help us to live in such utter dependence on You that we appreciate You, and everything You give and do. Amen.