Thank you.

I often wonder what happened to the word thank you. What happened to parents teaching their kids to be thankful? Now a days people are so used to getting what they want they aren't even thankful for it. In our fast paced culture I think we've left behind the words thank you and instead just expect things to happen for us. 

Thank you : a polite expression of one's gratitude

Thankful: conscious of benefit received 

Thanksgiving: 1 : the act of giving thanks. 2 : a prayer expressing gratitude

It's so easy to teach your kids to tell people thanks. Saying thank you is just a way of speaking your gratitude. Thankfulness is deep in your heart. My parents raised me well enough to make sure I knew to say thank you. My mom had me sit down and write out thank you notes. At the time I never realized what a beautiful lessons she had been teaching me.

Recently the Lord has been changing my heart. For a long time I had struggle praying. I would rush through it and say thank you for different things at the end of the prayer. I didn't take the time to really be thankful. 

Colossians 3:15-17 says: "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." 

I have so many things to be thankful for. We are free from sin, we are free from regrets. We can now see the world for it's beauty. We don't have to be stuck in the darkness any longer. These things alone we should be giving thanks for! Take the time to really say thank you to God while you pray. Take time to tell your parents thank you. Take time to write a thank you card to someone who bought you a gift or helped you out. Show people how thankful you are for them by doing simple deeds for them. Take the trash out. Offer to help your neighbor unload grocery. Take a friend out to dinner. Don't live your life selfishly any longer.  I can promise you you won't regret doing so. I've grown up listening to my parents frustration about my friends not saying thank you and I completely understand where they're coming from. I imagine how much it must hurt God when you neglect to have thanksgiving in your heart. He gives so much and we can either live a life just going through the motions or a life singing with a heart full of gratitude. Instead of focusing  on my sorrows I'm going to focus on all I have to be thankful for. Instead of going to God with more things he needs to fix I am going to go to him full of thanksgiving. It's your choice on how you live your life but I can guarantee your heart will feel much lighter when you realize all you have to be thankful for. 

Ephesians 5:20 "Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Psalm 106:1 "Hallelujah! ThankGod! And why? Because he's good, because his love lasts."

Colossians 4:2 "Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving."