Thankful.

The thing about giving is that if it's not done without any strings, without any obligations, even without the need to be thanked for the gift given, it's not giving...it's bargaining. May be bargaining for someone's love, for appreciation...for a future gift in return, but a true gift is something given without any expectation to be repaid or to even be thanked. Yet, we all know who is thankful for what we've given them, and who is not. It's only human nature to want to be appreciated. We remember who has called to say thank you, who has written a thank you note and who hasn't. After not being thanked several times, we may reconsider what we give to those who are not appreciative.

Thankfully, it may be human nature, but it's not our Father's nature. I was recently thinking about how much I'm thankful for, and I realized that the things I list when thanking Him must only be a drop in the bucket (an enormous bucket) of all the things He's actually done for me. I stopped to think about how many, many, blessings I've received and taken for granted, having never stopped to say "Thank You, Father, Thank you!" How many times He's helped me, lifted me up, kept me from harm, and all without my having been aware. If I were to spend the rest of my life on my knees giving thanks, it wouldn't be enough.

I'm reminded of the story of the 10 lepers Christ healed and only one took the time to thank Him. Did Jesus not know that the other nine would fail to thank Him? That's not possible, He knows everything. He knew, and yet He healed them all. What was the difference between the nine that walked on and the one that turned back to honor Jesus and praise Him for his healing? A thankful heart.

Father, for the blessings I'm aware of and those I'm not, I thank You. For loving me even when I couldn't love myself, thank You. For the day that I will run into Your open arms, thank You. Father, if I have nothing else, I pray I will always have a thankful heart. Amen.