And be thankful. (2)

Colossians 3:15b

And be thankful.

For the past couple of weeks I have been doing a bit of an experiment that I would like to invite you into. It is an experiment in thankfulness.

Now, having grown up in a home (and a culture) that valued manners I am... well... thankful that I have been given the gift of "P's & Q's". But, it has occurred to me as of late (perhaps the fruit of now being a parent?!) that there is a huge difference between good manners and thankfulness. As important that it is that we say "thank you" to those around us (and our Lord), one is an act of social conscious and the other is act of love. And, though both are valuable, I think we all know the difference when we see it AND I think our Father in heaven knows the difference as well.

A couple years back I was having a bouquet of flowers made up for my wife at the florist across the street from our Glasgow flat and I was struck with the level of care the woman behind the counter was taking. When she handed me the flowers I made a point of not only saying "thank you" but of also telling her that I noticed her hard work, I appreciated the care she took and that I knew my wife was going to love the arrangement. The woman was taken back (her eyes actually welled up) and she said, "thank you for noticing". Now I was taken back. Could my "thank you" have contained that much power... or maybe she just hadn't heard a real "thank you" for a long time.

Hence the experiment...

So the next time the barista hands you your grande half cafe with room OR your secretary brings the files you requested OR your child unexplainably says thank you when he or she hasn't been told... look them in the eye's and say "thank you very much... I noticed... you are very appreciated..." and see what they say.

BTW - As an aside, I just did the experiment in Starbucks (where I am typing this) and the barista gave me my grande drip for free... hmm.