The Value of Saying “Thanks!”

It might have been the first prayer we ever learned: "God is great; God is good. We thank Him for our food." And perhaps it started us off with an understanding of the very positive impact gratitude can have in our busy, noisy lives.

You see, a sense of appreciation for all the positives of life, a sense of gratitude for the abundance God has freely bestowed to us, coupled with praise to the God who has provided them, gives us a clearer sense of ourselves and our relationship to the Deity who is the giver of every good gift. Our “attitude of gratitude” is an affirmation that God’s grace is real in our lives.

Rubel Shelly writes about when his son was about four years old, and it was his turn to say a prayer of thanksgiving over lunch. “With open-face sandwiches on the plates, he folded his hands and began. ‘Deah God, we fank fee . . .’ (Note: He wasn't doing well with his r- and th-words at four! But back to the prayer . . .) ‘Deah God, we fank fee foh de bwead and de tomato . . .’ (Another Note: Yes, he was peeking! But back to the prayer . . .) ‘And we fank fee foh de meat and foh . . . and foh . . .’ (Final Note: He knew what lettuce was, but it just wouldn't come to him at that critical moment. So he pointed his still-folded hands toward it and continued to pray . . .) ‘And foh dis stuff. Amen.’”

It’s a cute story, but it gets to the heart of the matter. A bit of thanksgiving at mealtime (or anytime) is such a tiny piece of our spiritual lives. However, being thankful is good. Honoring God as the giver is better since we can’t claim credit for any of it!

So may we be reminded of the wonderful gifts of food and air, friends and work, sunshine and rain and every blessing we enjoy. All are blessings we did not create and for which we can take no credit. It is good to recognize them as gifts and to be thankful. And the bigger blessing is our little bits of thanks make it even more natural to turn to our Creator in stressful times to name our hurts and pains, our stresses and our troubles, and to ask for God’s help without feeling guilty as a thankless beggar.

I remember this verse: "Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done" (Philippians 4:6).