Colossians 3:15

“Thank You”

Be ye thankful. Colossians 3:15.

I wonder if you ever noticed how often St. Paul reminded those to whom he wrote to say “thank you.” I expect he found that people in his day were just as ready to forget that little word as we are today.

Sometimes your parents have to remind you to say “please” and “thank you,” and you don't like it; still, you do say these words, because you know you won't get what you wish without them. Now, I want you to learn to say “thank you” not only with your lips that is easy enough but with your whole heart, which is a very much bigger thing.

But what does it mean to say “thank you” with your heart? Well, I think it just means making the best of the things you have, being glad that you have them, and grateful to God for sending them. It means looking on the bright side, and putting all ugly grumbling and complaining right out of your way. And I think, too, it means trying to do something to make somebody else happy because of the good things that have come your way.

Now, I want to give you three big reasons why we should try to grow a “thank you” heart. Because, you know, it is a thing everybody can grow if they begin early enough, and try hard enough, and ask God to help them.

1. The first big reason is that it makes you happy.

It's a strange thing, but a true one, that the more we grumble and complain about things, the more we seem to have to grumble and complain about, and the more we thank for, the more we seem to have to thank for. The same things look very different if we look at them in a different way.

When you wake up in the morning of a chill and cheerless day

And feel inclined to grumble, pout or frown,

Just glance into your mirror and you will quickly see

It's just because the corners of your mouth turn down.

Then take this simple rhyme,

Remember it in time,

It's always dreary weather in countryside or town

When you wake and find the corners of your mouth turned down.

If you wake up in the morning full of bright and happy thoughts

And begin to count the blessings in your cup,

Then glance into your mirror and you will quickly see

It's all because the corners of your mouth turn up.

Then take this little rhyme,

Remember all the time,

There's joy a-plenty in this world to fill life's cup

If you'll only keep the corners of your mouth turned up.

(Lulu Linton.)

Some of you read fairy tales. And you know that very often the story turns upon the possession of some wonderful charm that will make disagreeable things nice, that will change an ugly beast into a beautiful prince, or open the door into some treasure cave.

Well, we each possess a magic charm that will make ugly things beautiful and disagreeable things nice, a charm that will make “the corners of our mouth turn up ” and lead the way into the treasure cave of happiness. And what do you think the name of that charm is? It is just “Thankfulness.”

Once upon a time there was an old lady who had had a great many troubles and worries, but her face was so sweet and happy that everybody liked to look at it. One day a fretful woman came to her and asked how it was she always seemed so happy. And what do you think the old lady said? Well, she told her fretful friend that the secret of her happiness was that she kept a Pleasure Book. Every evening for years and years she had written down in this book something nice that had happened to her that day. And she had never missed an evening. She had always found something to write in the book. It might be a very little thing a pleasant walk, a visit from a friend, a cheering letter but down it went.

So if you want to be happy count up all the nice things that happen to you. That is just one way of saying “thank you” for them; and you will be surprised how many you will have to count.

1. But the second reason why we should be thankful is bigger than the first one, and it is that we make other people happy. It makes others glad when they see us wearing a cheerful countenance, and it makes them glad when we thank them for the little services they do to us.

Several years ago a lady was coming out of a public building when the heavy door swung back and prevented her exit. A street urchin sprang forward and held the door open for her, and as she passed through she smiled on him and said, “Thank you.”

“Did ye hear that?” exclaimed the urchin to a small companion. “Hear what?” “She said ‘Thank you' to the likes o' me!”

The lady was much amused. “Why, it always pays to be polite,” she said, and thought no more about the incident.

Some years later the same lady was doing Christmas shopping. She received exceptional courtesy from one shop-walker whom she thanked. The man said, “Pardon me, madam, but you gave me my first lesson in politeness.”

Then he explained that he was the urchin who had held open the door for her years before and that her courteous “Thank you” had given him the ambition to do something in the world. The very next day he had gone and offered himself as message boy in the establishment where now he held a position of trust.

2. But the biggest reason of all why we should try to grow a thankful heart is that God loves to have our thanks. He loves to have them and we so seldom give them to Him.

There is a legend which tells how the Angel of Prayer and the Angel of Thanksgiving were sent down to earth with two huge baskets to gather up the desires of men and bring them back to God. And very soon the Angel of Prayer had his basket full to overflowing, while the basket of the other Angel was almost empty.

We are always ready to ask God to grant our requests, and He loves to hear our prayers, but when He sends us what we ask for we very often forget to thank Him. Do you think it is quite fair? Remember God loves to receive our thanks too, and He never despises the “thank you” of the smallest child.