"Thank-you"

From early childhood, we teach our children to say "thank-you". Usually it comes out at first as "ta,ta" or "ta". Among friends, an adult may use "ta" as a slang word for "thank-you", too. God wants His children to be thankful as well. No parent, and that includes God as a Father, wants children who are ungrateful. There are many benefits to saying "thank-you". It shows we are grateful. Also, it is a way of revealing that we have been heartened by what has been given or done for us. "Thank-you" is often the beginning of a friendship. We are mysteriously drawn to thankful people while being repelled by those who can't say "thank-you". Being thankful and expressing our thankfulness by a simple "thank-you" lifts our own spirit, for our Creator has put thanksgiving in our hearts so that we thrive on being thankful. Thankfulness needs to be expressed to be most effective. A thankful person is usually very positive and optimistic, while an ungrateful person is commonly bitter and sullen. In the Bible, there are a number of situations where thankfulness is specifically mentioned: When Jonah was in the belly of the great fish (probably a whale). Reeds and other things that a whale feeds on were making Jonah fearful for his life and sanity. It was when he remarked, "with the voice of thanksgiving will I sacrifice to You" and "salvation belongs to the Lord" that God had the great fish vomit Jonah out on to dry land (Jonah 2:9). In the last chapter of Jonah, God has to rebuke Jonah for being ungrateful to God for sparing his people's enemies, viz. the people of Nineveh (Assyrians). As you can see, it is very easy to swing from a thankful spirit to an ungrateful one when things change around us. Paul's epistles. There are many examples of the spostle Paul exhorting God's people to be thankful. For example, in Philippians 4:6, Paul links thanksgiving with prayer and supplication as well as a peace that surpasses all understanding. The implication here is that thanksgiving along with prayer and supplication will bring about a great inner peace. Another example smong many is the teaching in I Thessalonians 5:16, "Give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you". In conclusion, I would exhort you to teach your children by example to be thankful. Children learn to be thankful. Remember, before each meal be sure to thank God.