{"id":778,"date":"2017-03-16T14:48:58","date_gmt":"2017-03-16T14:48:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/?p=778"},"modified":"2017-03-16T14:48:58","modified_gmt":"2017-03-16T14:48:58","slug":"the-power-of-thank-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2017\/03\/the-power-of-thank-you.html","title":{"rendered":"The Power of \u201cThank You\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"flower<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cOne of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus\u2019 feet and thanked him \u2013 and he was a Samaritan.\u201d Luke 17:15-16<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The story of Jesus and the Ten Lepers brilliantly shows the importance of saying \u201cthank you,\u201d \u2013 and how foolish we look when we fail to do so. In the story, ten lepers beg Jesus to have pity on them and cure them.\u00a0 While the text calls the men \u201clepers,\u201d we don\u2019t know precisely what disease these men had.\u00a0 All we know is that they had a skin disease that rendered them unfit to be part of the community.<\/p>\n

Now if you had a disease that was visible and unsightly, and if that disease prevented you from being with your family and friends, and then a stranger came along and cured you, wouldn\u2019t you say \u201cthank you\u201d? Of course, you would.\u00a0 It would be utterly stupid not to say \u201cthank you\u201d under those circumstances.\u00a0 Yet most of us fail to say \u201cthank you\u201d in equally stupid ways all the time.<\/p>\n

For instance, I never said \u201cthank you\u201d to my parents for paying for my living expenses while I was in college. My tuition was nominal, so that was covered.\u00a0 However, my living expenses were not.\u00a0 Now, my parents could have said to me, \u201cYou are 18.\u00a0 You are legally an adult, so figure it out.\u201d\u00a0 But they didn\u2019t.\u00a0 And like the nine lepers, I never said \u201cthank you.\u201d<\/p>\n

As children, we feel entitled to all kinds of things, when in reality, we are owed food, clothing and shelter until we are 18. After that, anything that we receive is a gift that deserves appreciation.\u00a0 Truth be told, we aren\u2019t owed anything in life.\u00a0 Every last thing we have, including the ability to breathe, is a gift from God.\u00a0 That is why expressions of gratitude are so important.<\/p>\n

As a result, over the years, I\u2019ve tried to train myself to be quick to say \u201cthank you.\u201d Now there are lots of ways that we can express gratitude.\u00a0 Certainly, telling someone directly is effective.\u00a0 But how often do you get a Thank You card these days?\u00a0 In this age of email and text, probably not that often.\u00a0 Yet it is nice to receive a tangible note to keep and enjoy.<\/p>\n

It is interesting that with all the loftier theological issues addressed in the gospels, an entire story is devoted to the importance of giving thanks. There is a reason why the Bible is the best \u201cself-help\u201d book ever written.\u00a0 It gives simple advice for the successful life.\u00a0 And reminding us of the importance of saying \u201cthank you\u201d is one of the best pieces of advice that we can get.<\/p>\n

Not only it is nice to hear words of gratitude, but it is good for us to say them. When we express gratitude, it makes our relationships go more smoothly.\u00a0 Quite honestly, people feel taken advantage of if you don\u2019t say thank you when they do things for you.\u00a0 Gratitude is the oil that allows the gears of our relationships to move smoothly.<\/p>\n

Moreover, when we say \u201cthank you,\u201d we remind ourselves that when others do things for us, it is a gift. We lose the arrogance of believing that we are \u201cowed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Consider this week whether you are saying \u201cthank you\u201d to those who deserve your gratitude. Or are you like the nine lepers who receive a divine gift and simply walk away?\u00a0 Remember that saying \u201cthank you\u201d is not only good for the person hearing it, but it is also good for the person saying it.<\/p>\n

(Photo Courtesy of Pexels)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cOne of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus\u2019 feet and thanked him \u2013 and he was a Samaritan.\u201d Luke 17:15-16 The story of Jesus and the Ten Lepers brilliantly shows the importance of saying \u201cthank you,\u201d \u2013 and how foolish…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":593,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[50],"class_list":["post-778","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-gratitude"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Power of \u201cThank You\u201d - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/yourmorningcupofinspiration\/2017\/03\/the-power-of-thank-you.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Power of \u201cThank You\u201d - Your Morning Cup of Inspiration\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u201cOne of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 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