Giving Thanks

Remember when you were a kid and your parents made you say 'thank you'? Well, maybe yours didn't but mine did. I would receive an object, maybe a cookie or toy from someone else and my mom would look at me. If I didn't catch on that this was the thanking part of the conversation, my mom would gently ask, "What do you say, Debbie?"

At which point, it usually clicked that I should say thank you. My mom didn't make me say thank you for the benefit of the giver. No, she made me same them for my benefit, so I would grow up to be a thankful person.

It's the same concept with God. We do not thank Him because He needs our thanks (although I'm sure He likes it). We thank Him because we learn something from giving thanks. We learn what it means to be content where we are. We learn what it means to trust His plan. This is why it's important to say 'thank you', even if you don't feel like giving thanks. Do what I did and say it through clenched teeth if you have to. Repeat it. Again and again until you really are thankful.