Psalms 92:1 “It is a good thing to give thanks.”
Because pain and problems come with a megaphone while blessings are often just there like a peaceful and well behaved child, we are all prone to complain more than we praise. It’s no wonder that the Psalms and a whole lot of other places in the Bible say, “it is a good thing to give thanks.” Well, it can at times be a good thing to complain too, but we don’t need to be reminded to complain. We do however need to be reminded to “give thanks.” Here are three reasons why the constant reminder to give thanks is necessary.
- “Unexpressed gratitude communicates ingratitude. It is experienced as rejection and over time has the same effect as rejection.” Northpoint Resources
I’ll bet in everyone of our lives there is a relationship that is starving for praise. Furthermore, I’ll bet that relationship that is most starving for “Thank you,” is someone really close to you for which familiarity or a power struggle has made “thank you” feel awkward or even scary. Well, get over it this Thanksgiving day and say “Thanks.”
- Complaint and negative statements are necessary in every relationship but they carry more weight than praise so only copious amounts of “thank you’s” can keep a relationship in balance.
Keep the following imagery in mind. Complaining is a hammer and thanksgiving is a feather; you gotta pile on the feathers to compensate for the hammers. Say thanks today to God and to the people through which he pours his blessing into your life.
- What you SAY will determine what you SEE, so every “thank you” increases your awareness of the blessings of God in your life.
We used to sing, “count your blessings name them one by one, count your blessings see what God has done.” In my daily quiet time with God I write out my thank you’s and it always amazing how my thank you list tends to be much longer than my prayer request list. Now if you asked me right before I start my list, “how is it going?” I would invariably tell you of some difficult situation that I am grappling with. It takes saying “thank you” to cause me to correctly say how much I am blessed.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
