My mother worked hard all of her life. No matter how dismal our surroundings were, she did her best to feed and clothe us, care for us when we were sick, and comfort us when things went wrong. I took for granted she would always be there when I needed her, until I moved away from home and she wasn't there for me like before. As we both grew older, I appreciated how much she sacrificed for her family, but I'm not sure I really ever let her know, in words, how I felt. From time to time I was able to help her in some small way, but there was never any question of repaying a debt that could never be repaid.

It was much harder to feel gratitude toward my father. Daddy, as we all called him (Andy to everyone else who knew him, though his real name was Eldridge), was a hard worker. Nobody could handle a team of horses better than he could, especially on bad terrain. Most of his life, he was a farmer, and a good one within the limits of the outdated tools available to him. He raised a large family with very little money. When he was sober, he could be very kind and gentle, though as a rule he was a stern disciplinarian. Unfortunately, many times he wasn't sober, and less so as the years went on. He could control his drinking to a degree when he was young, but in his old age it controlled him. For all his faults and weaknesses, though, he did give me life and a home, along with a strong work ethic. He also gave me a sense of self-discipline and self-control, though more as a consequence of coping with our daily lives in a dysfunctional home than by example.

I do thank God for both of my parents. It's easy, if we take the time and effort to do so, to thank him for the big things, and the good things, in life. We find it difficult to thank him, though, for the failures, the trials, and the sorrows that inevitably come. How can we possibly thank the Lord when a son or daughter dies suddenly, or when fire destroys our home? How can we thank him when we're caught up in war and famine? Paul wrote, "In everything give thanks," but how could this really mean everything? Surely God doesn't expect us to thank him when the Devil comes after us tooth and nail.

What does it really mean to say "Thank you"? Apart from the emotional overlay that often goes with it, an expression of thanks is an acknowledgment of, and appreciation for, an act of grace. Though we may thank someone as a matter of course, or a matter of form, what we are really saying is that someone has done something for us, or given us something, without asking for repayment in kind. When we thank a store clerk or a waitress, we aren't expressing gratitude for the product or food we paid for, but for their service. We certainly may repay a kindness by doing something in return, such as leaving a tip, but that in itself is an act of grace on our part. If a restaurant requires a tip be added to a bill, then our giving it is not an act of gratitude but part of the cost of the meal.

When we thank God, then, we are expressing our appreciation for all his provision, which springs from his grace. It's not something we have to pay for; Christ already paid the cost. We don't thank a waiter for food we have to pay for anyway, though we may appreciate its quality. Similarly, we don't thank God for things or circumstances that don’t come from him. What we're really thanking him for is his faithfulness in the midst of trouble, not for the trouble itself. We thank him because the trials he allows us to endure make our faith and endurance stronger, not for the trials themselves. When the most hideous form of evil comes against us, we can thank God because he has already overcome it.

We can also thank God for the promise of Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose." If we meet the requirements, that we love God and that he has called us, we can thank him for whatever happens. We don't thank him for evil, for it doesn't come from him, but for the promise of good.

Thanksgiving to God is part of the act of praise: By him [Jesus] let us therefore offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. (Hebrews 13:15) As this verse points out as well, giving thanks is the fruit of gratitude, the result of the seeds if kindness planted in us. Giving thanks to God should flow naturally out of our every day life as Christians. If we find it difficult to thank him, or just don't bother, we need to examine our relationship with Christ. Time to take inventory; what do you have to be thankful for?

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JESUS IS the Bridge Ministries

Beneath His Wings Devotionals - Vol. 1