Protocols, Postures and Power of Thanksgivingනියැදිය

THE CULTURE OF THANKSGIVING

Gratitude is not a moment; it is a culture that you must learn, practice, and insist upon. In most cultures, thankless people usually lack class and training. When somebody is classless, he/she is a thankless person. Cultured people understand the act of thanksgiving. I want you to think of thanksgiving as one of the unwritten rules of success — because doors will open on the hinge of honour. Start at home: teach children to thank their mother at the dinner table, and your spouse to acknowledge sacrifices every day. When you break these unspoken rules, you can remain in unnecessary trouble for a long time. Thanksgiving conveys, "I am aware of the heart of the giver." It sensitizes you to the feelings of other people and not yours.

Thanksgiving shows you felt the impact of what God has done. David "sat before the LORD" and testified like one in a merciful daze, mapping the path from the sheepfold to a throne based on covenant (1 Chronicles 17:16–27). That position is the reverse of entitlement. Never presume as of right what was given in grace; to do so is to cheapen the very hand that lifted you. For every act of kindness, human or divine, say "thank you," and mean it. Tailor your thanks to the size of the deed: sometimes a word, sometimes a card, sometimes a visit, sometimes a gift. Honour has degrees; wisdom knows them.

Never take an act of grace for a ride. Construct rituals that keep you in a state of thankfulness: a weekly thanksgiving list, thoughtful thankfulness texts, and family times when mercies are spoken aloud. Model for your kids that all that you were able to do for them was done because of the God whom you trust. Habituate your heart to associate outcomes with the mercy of God and the kindness of people. When thanksgiving turns to culture, pride is dead, tenderness is back, and relations bloom.

THOUGHT TO PONDER: Where have I acted entitled instead of overwhelmed by grace — and how will I correct that today? Who deserves a weightier “thank you” from me, and what form should that honour take?

PRAYER: Father, cure me of entitlement. Make thanksgiving my culture — at home, in church, and in life. Teach me to honour You and people rightly and promptly, in Jesus’ name. Amen.