Learning to say “thank you”!

As Marianne sat on one of the backseats on the bus, she heard another of those “thank you/s” as the driver brought the bus to a stop, and a passenger stepped out of the front door. “This is the ninth “thank you” in less than 15 mins!”, she mused to herself, wondering why passengers bothered to thank the bus drivers. Maybe it’s a Canadian thing?

Back at the city where Marianne had her last vacation, passengers never appreciated a driver. Instead, they haggled about incorrect fares and accused drivers of trying to exploit them.  Here in Calgary Canada, it was different; there seemed to be an unexplained attitude of gratitude in passengers. As she stepped off at her bus stop, she smiled and said “thank you” to the driver. She was learning very fast. 

How should a Christian think about gratitude? Thankfulness and showing appreciation are part of Christian living. Many verses in the Bible encourages and even commands us to “give thanks to God…” for different reasons. But we do not have to wait to have a reason before we can be grateful.

Think about the verses below for example;

            “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him (Colossians 3:17)

            “Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20)

An attitude of gratitude understands that God works in and through everything for our greater good – whether in little or great things. For “…we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28)

Let’s take time today to recall all of the good things God has done for us (even if we are still asking Him for some more) and say “thank you Jesus!”

God deserves our appreciation because:

• We are alive and well
• He has promised us a hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11) even if things are not particularly great now
• His love is always there for us
• His mercies do not get exhausted

There are so many things to be thankful for!