Thank You

Thank you. Just two little words, and we teach them to our children as soon as they begin speaking. Yes, these words aren’t used as much today as they should be, but their scarcity only drives up their value.

Thank you. It’s a simple, short, succinct phrase. So cheap to dole out, yet these words make an impact and are dearly received. Many philosophers and commentators have expressed poignant opinions about gratefulness. 

• Cicero said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of the virtues but the parent of all the others.” 
• William Arthur Ward said, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it”. 

Here we are in November: The solitary month out of a dozen where gratefulness is more the rule rather than the exception. It’s en vogue to bandy about the themes of Thanksgiving and gratitude. And lest you feel that I am being cynical, please understand: I’m glad for the renewed gratitude of the season!

But, while the bar has been raised for the 11th month of the year, could we strive not to lower it on December 1? Let’s work harder at displaying and saying thanks a little more often, December through October.

Now that I have fully raised the ivory tower that I exhort you from, may I step off my soapbox and sincerely say two words?

Thank you. 

To those who have invested in me, thank you

To those who have prayed for me and our ministry, thank you.

To those who give so sacrificially, thank you.

One of the great shames of my generation is often a lack of gratitude, but today, and every day, I pray that it’s not true of me. 

So, to you and yours, Thank you.