GRATEFULNESS

A MAN needed his pants ironed. His wife, as she ironed the pants for him, burned the pants. These pants were brand-new pants that he was looking forward to wearing. Her husband started to get mad but stopped to think before reacting and said, “Lord, thank You that my leg wasn’t in those pants.” There is always a reason to give thanks. (“Be anxious for nothing, but in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving.”)433

[Perspective; Thanksgiving, Importance of]

1 Chron. 16:8; Ps. 7:17; Phil. 4:6

A MAN got on the bus one day, found a seat, and sat down. On the next stop, a lady got on and had to stand up because there were no seats. The man who had boarded the bus earlier stood up to give her his seat as he was taught to do as a boy. When the lady sat down, she fainted because she was so astonished that someone would offer his seat to her.

When she came to, she thanked the man. Then he fainted out of shock that somebody would be that grateful.434

[Thanksgiving, Motivation for]

Ps. 105:1; Luke 17:11–17; Heb. 12:28

MATTHEW Henry, the famous Bible scholar wrote in his diary, “Let me be thankful first, because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse, they did not take my life; third, let me be thankful that although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed and not I who robbed.”435

[Gratitude; Thanksgiving, Motivation for; Perspective]

Ps. 103:2; 1 Thess. 5:1–18

I HATE squash. One of the worst things I could do at the dinner table is exclaim my distaste for squash. That was only a signal to take the squash bowl and forcibly serve me, putting the squash on my plate. Mom always put more on my plate than I would have put had I humbled myself to eat it in the first place. Then my mother would just sit and watch me eat, ensuring that I ate it all up.

Complaining would only make things worse. It would only make my mother go “overseas” on me and start talking about kids in India who would love to be having squash right now. If I insisted on not eating the squash, I would quickly hear, “Well, you ain’t hungry then.”436

[Children, Training; Ungratefulness]

Num. 11:1; 1 Cor. 10:10; Phil. 2:14

I DON’T eat fish. My father was a longshoreman and as a longshoreman he loaded and unloaded boats. Sometimes there would be periods where ships weren’t coming in regularly or maybe the longshoremen would go on strike so we would go without income for segments of time. My father had to feed his family so he would go out on a boat and catch herring.

Herrings have hundreds of small bones inside. My dad would catch herring by the net and he would bring them home. So we would have herring for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! Boiled egg and herring, herring sandwich for lunch, or herring and rice for dinner. Although I gradually developed a hatred for anything in the fish family, my daddy would always say that this was all we had and he would give thanks because we were eating something.437

[Daily Bread; Provision, God’s]

Num. 11:4–6; 1 Kings 17:7–16

THERE is the story of a little boy who wanted his mother to pay him for all the services he was rendering in the home. He left her a note that read:

For washing the dishes, you owe me a dollar. For cleaning my room, you owe me a dollar. For hanging up my clothes, you owe me a dollar. For mowing the lawn, you owe me a dollar. Mama, you owe me, pay up.

He printed a bill for her, totaling four dollars and gave it to her.

The mother came and put four dollars on the kitchen table with a note of her own. The note simply said:

For carrying you nine months and being sick as a dog, no charge. For staying up all night with you, night after night when you were sick, no charge. For working overtime so that I could get you those special tennis shoes, no charge. For entertaining your friends when you wanted to bring ’em over without notice, no charge. Signed, your mother who loves you. Total, zero.

After reading the note, that young man realized that he had lost sight of the goodness of mother. He had turned a love relationship into a business deal. He had said to his mother what a lot of God’s children say to Him: “Pay up. What’s in it for me?”438

[Father God; God’s Goodness; Ungratefulness]

1 Sam. 10:17–19; Ps. 118:12

I USED to have a dog. I was feeding it one day. I was reaching down to move the dog’s plate to get it in the right position and the dog growled at me. This didn’t sit well with me at all!

My thoughts went something like this: What! I’ve been feeding you for years. I’ve been buying you food when I didn’t know how I was going to eat; I’ve cleaned up messes that you’ve made in this house. Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.

Let’s just say that he used to be my dog. He couldn’t snap at me and me still be his provider. He wasn’t going to get ticked off at me and have me as his provider. He was not going to get an attitude with me and keep me as his provider.

The only reason this dog was eating was because he was in my house. I bought the bowl and put the food in it. When he needed water, he couldn’t reach the sink! I filled the bowl with water and put it down for him to drink. When he needed to go outside to use the restroom late at night, I got up and opened the door. That dog should never have barked at me!

In the same way, God doesn’t want any attitudes from us. Every time we see Him approach, He expects us to give thanks and have attitudes of gratitude.439

[Provision, God’s; Thanksgiving, Motivation for; Ungratefulness]

Heb. 12:28