I wish I had a penny...or these days maybe a dollar...for every time I've told my boys "say thank you!" It surprises me that I need to say it over and over and over before it becomes a habit for them to thank someone who helps them.
They do get it eventually though, and they will consistently say thank you for a door that is held open, or for a drink delivered by a waitress (or Mom), or for a gift from a grandparent. It is nice when they thank me...but it is expected and not much of a surprise most of the time.
There are times, however, when a 'thank you' has much more meaning. My nine-year-old,Tate, has to take medication several times a day. The pills are preventative...so they don't make him feel better in any way that he can identify. I try to explain that they are to keep him from getting sick. He has faith in my wanting to take care of him, so he takes them without arguing. Often, when he is busy playing and I interrupt him with a glass of water and 1-4 pills for him to take, he will take them and say "thank you!" That always stops me in my tracks for a moment. Not only does he trust me enough to do something unpleasant every single day, he trusts me enough to THANK ME for it!
I think about how often I complain about all the unpleasantness of life. I wish I could have faith like Tate...to trust that the unpleasantness is meant for my good, and to even be thankful for it.
"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
