Tip Thursday
The Importance of Training Thankfulness
When babies are little, it’s fun to hear those first few words ever spoken. I know of one mother who was sad that her son’s first words were “no, no”. I think, maybe she was a consistent disciplinarian; even those words are darling when spoken by a little one. Some of my babies’ first words (after “mama” and “dada”) were “da-du” (thank you). Thirty years later and I still remember those sweet sounding words! Other people were also delighted to hear a sweet baby express gratitude without prompting. But training gratitude, like so many other valuable character traits, is a process that must be repeated throughout many stages of childhood. (Oftentimes as adults, we have to encourage ourselves to remember to express gratitude as well. Did you know that gratitude helps reduce adult stress?) It is also one of the best antidotes to the attitude of entitlement and a key in building healthy relationships. What a relief to know that encouraging our youngest of children to do the simplest things, like say thank you, can give them life-long healthy skills. (Thanking God for food before they eat, writing the simplest of thank you notes for gifts; are also effective ways to build a healthy attitude of gratitude into that precious child of yours.)
Now, picture your Father watching you and training you as His precious child. To Him, we are all very young in comparison to the Ancient of Days. How He must delight to hear us say thank you. Sometimes He has to give us difficult gifts wrapped in unpleasant wrappings so He can bless us with the gift of gratitude. That precious toddler who is giving you fits (literally), that darling child with a learning disability, the teenager with an attitude, or even your own difficult childhood and past – all those things which cause us to seek Him and His answers are actually some of our greatest gifts, for they force us out of complacency and apathy onto our knees and into His arms. Oh, He delights to send us the answers, but, oh, how He loves the fragrance of our heart-felt, genuine words in prayer. Sweeter still to Him, is that priceless aroma of our gratitude before the solution arrives. That truly is what costs us most, when we thank Him through our tears when no answer is in sight. That’s when we receive the greatest of blessings, as we offer Him the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Once the answer comes, it’s a little easier to say thank you – if we remember. But, if I get quiet enough, I sense His pleasure when I thank Him before I have the answer.
What are some things that you are thankful for today? When do you sense His pleasure?
(Leave me a comment in a reply below. I love hearing from you!)
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