No Thanks??

Morning sings! Most of us are still recovering from an incredible COEBA week. Hope you've gotten some rest by now and are back at it- relishing the joys of work, or, whatever it is you do. I had a thought I wanted to share today. It was prompted, in part, by a really nice note a recent houseguest left when he departed. It was basically a heartfelt thanks for our hospitality and a personal expression of what the time in our home had meant to his life. There were specific details mentioned, and it was obvious that he took real time to clearly express the gratitude he felt. The note really made us feel...well, good! There's no other way to say it. It kinda just made my day. It also made me think about the importance of expressing gratitude in our lives. I think we all feel that we are grateful for blessings- to God, to our friends, parents, etc. We often take time to internalize how fortunate we are. But if we're honest, we might admit that we are sometimes lacking in our expression of that gratitude to God first, then to the people who do and give and pray and work for our benefit. We take people for granted, failing to realize our duty to simply say, "thank you." As children we are taught "please" and "thank you", but I've discovered that many people have mastered the "please" part but are flunking out when it comes to expressing gratitude. One of the most encouraging things you can ever do is to passionately and sincerely convey your appreciation for what someone does that impacts you. It never gets old! It can make all the difference in their day. AND it helps you to better appreciate and recognize the blessings in your life and to avoid developing a sense of entitlement. The late Walter Hawkins coined the words to the classic song, "be grateful." I might go a step further and say, "ACT grateful." Tell them. Show them. Never be mistaken for an ingrate! "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." I Thess. 5:18. Love u guys. PM