We Must Say “Thank You”

I tend to go through the motions sometimes and life just tends to blend into the background. Kind of like life is stuck in cruise control. It’s time like these that I really appreciate this excerpt from Steve Case’s book “God Is Here” because it reminds me to slow down, appreciate life and take time to thank God for the blessings he’s given me:

God created us. We must say “thank you.” The bible tells us that all good things come from God. Below is a partial list…

Trees, rain, snow, hot fudge, Chuck Taylor high-top tennis shoes, Ben &Jerry’s, peanut butter, bus drivers, ambulance drivers, garbage collectors, candles that smell like the ocean, books, CD’, The Simpsons, Starbucks, matches, sleeping bags, stars, planets, rocks, telescopes, movies, DVD’s, warm socks, warm hearts, families, vacations, vacations with the family, vacations without the family, the Grand Canyon, rest stops, public toilets, indoor plumbing, agriculture, corn, peas, jalapeños, pizza, cheese, cows, chocolate milk, Oreo cookies, plastic bags to put your lunch in, metal lunch boxed, thermoses, cool mountain streams, the smell of pine needles in the woods, the smell of pine needles in your living room, Christmas, Easter, vaccinations, vitamins, laughter, giggles, smirks, grins, smiles, laughter through the tears, tears through laughter, jokes that make you squirt milk out your nose, onions.

Say “thank you.”

This is not a “thank you” the way you say “thank you” to your grandmother who still gives you PJ’s because she has labored under the delusion that you have been eight for the last fifteen years. This is a “thank you” from deep in the depths of your soul. This is a “thank you” that is a realization that all good things come from God. Everything you take for granted. Everything you never thought of. Everything.

This is a “thank you” that should be shouted from the mountaintop. This is a “thank you” that should be heard from your driveway when you walk out in the rain to get the paper in the morning. This is a “thank you” that comes from the heart. Say “thank you” with your life.

The best way to say “thank you” to God is by taking the gifts he has given you and giving the back to Him. If God has given you the gift of being able to sing, sing for God. Volunteer to do a solo on Christmas Eve. If you have a God-given gift to cook, cook for God. There’s a shelter in your neighborhood. Or maybe you can cook for your church youth group one night.

God gives everyone gifts. All good things come from God.

Say “thank you.”