The Power of Thank you..how to express gratitude from the heart

When Thank you seems inadequate…

I was kneeling in prayer, looking out at my moonlit yard…that beautiful light on the trees, silhouetted against the black sky. The stars were just amazing. Then words, thank you fell from my lips in prayer, and I was suddenly overwhelmed by the inadequacy of those 2 words.

I’d spent the day in anxiety because I couldn’t find my passport…a problem, given my husband and I were flying out in 2 days for a week away! I’d spent hours hunting through every pocket, bag, drawer and every other conceivable storage space, even after praying for help.

I was spent and compelled to stop, tell God I was done looking, and gave it over. Just that one “declaration of dependence” was sufficient to touch the heart of my Father. I found myself in a room with a bag I’d totally forgotten, went straight to an inner pocket…and there was my passport!  In that moment, thank you was the response!

That story may seem trite, but it was one of the many this past week.

When thank you is not offered….

In the face of a difficult encounter with 2 of my grandkids, I felt inadequate and ineffective in their lives.  I again had to stop the inner accusations flooding in from enemy territory, hand the situation to God and sense His peace. So, in this moment of thanks, I was again aware of the inadequacy of my words against the flood of provision bought with the life of Jesus…for me…for these obscure and seemingly small or impossible situations in my day-to-day life.

At ages eleven and twelve and in an season of self-absorption, I am sometimes treated by the kids with disdain …indifference at best. They will leave after spending a day with me without a hug or thanks for whatever the outing or activity was. Yet, my love for them does not waver. They are bone of my bone…flesh of my flesh! My desire is to be loved by them…of course. I want to be given every opportunity to give all that I am and have, to see them grow, succeed and become their very best. I know I have much to offer and contribute to that…but my advances and all I have needs to be recognised, valued and received. I cannot…and will not…force myself on them

Does it upset and hurt me when I am treated as if I have no value or importance in their current mindset of life? Yes, it does. And I love them regardless, keep showing up and putting out the hand of love and invitation for relationship in the hope it will one day be seen appreciated and received.

Don’t get me wrong here. I am not helpless, cowering in a corner of self-pity. I have ways and means of creating situations and environments to highlight their dependence on me yet awhile…and the authority to bring discipline and reason to their perceptions of who I am and my value to their lives. Withdrawal of “blessings” and privileges when no thanks for these is expressed or even consciously acknowledged is sometimes a necessary reminder that self-determination comes at a cost…to themselves. But I will not manipulate that, nor do I desire to create reasons for resentment. I want them to come…to spend time together because I Iove them.

When Thank you is not understood…

As I write this, it becomes clear to me that this is how our Heavenly Father is with me…with us…. but I do not have His infinite capacity to love unconditionally. I can sometimes allow my woundedness to affect my responses to the point of withdrawal of love, kindness and resources, even if only briefly. Jesus woundedness however, stands as a perpetual, perfect and powerful invitation to us…to me… to recognise and receive the enormity of this love gift that echoes through time and brings so much blessing to me….to all of us! His response to our acknowledgement and acceptance has…and never will…wane.

My attitude and thinking were then challenged by Scripture….as stated in 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, reproof, correction and for training in righteousness”, when…

Colossians 3:23-24 says,” Put you heart and soul into every activity you do, as though you are doing it for The Lord himself and not merely for others”. TPT

Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In the midst of everything, be always giving thanks, for this is God’s perfect plan for you in Christ Jesus.” TPT

This action of thanksgiving …to God…shifts my need for recognition and validation from, in this instance, my grandkids, who lack the maturity to understand another’s need for validation and acknowledgement, to everything I do being an act of service for God…not others. It lifts me above the temptation of resentment, judgement, and my looking for acceptance and praise from others rather than God.

When Thank You is the heart response…

Why does the King of Glory, seated beside the Father, have any interest in me and my daily diary of difficult or disappointing relationships and encounters, my sometimes skewed reading of peope and my expectations of how they should respond to me, or celebrate my joys and excitement and relief…even at finding my passport? Why would that matter to the King of Creation Himself…Jesus? That’s where my comprehension of the person of Jesus and His extraordinary gift of Himself is dependent on His Word. God is ever-present and interested in the details of my life…my comings and goings, my dreams and plans, my relationships, my anxiety over my missing passport, my difficult moments in interactions with others, my decisions, my reactions…. all of it.

Philippians 4:6 says, “Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, bring your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell Him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ.” TPT

That speaks to me of a constant dialogue within relationship between God, my Father and me, with me in a constant posture of thanksgiving. Why? Because He loves me and wants me to choose Him, to acknowledge and receive that love relationship.

So, He waits on the other side of our distractions, our disdain, our self-determination for our YES…our Thank you. But that thank you should never be spoken without a real heart of gratitude. The words are inadequate when delivered with no honour, respect or realisation that the “gift” is given in response to relationship and our value and understanding of its cost to the Giver.

Author: Naomi Roorda. August 2024

References and Acknowledgements:

Edit and proof reading: Anna Mellor, Jeff Roorda

Bible References: The Passion Translation

Photo 1: Freepik Thank you Screenshot-2024-08-14-142658-thank-you-726×1024.png

Photo 2: Give Thanks …Christian Art Gifts Inspirational cards to Colour Naomi Roorda