When an aunt gives a child a present, Mom makes sure the child learns early to say “Thank you.” But is gratitude only for children—or also for you and me?
- One day I found myself pondering why my teenage daughter constantly “needed something” but somehow forgot to express gratitude. And as I was thinking about it, I suddenly sensed my heavenly Father smiling at me—without words. Then it hit me: these past days had been overflowing with blessings. I had seen severely ill patients recover with lasting improvement. Perhaps it was time for me, too, to say “thank you” again.
- Once, a Russian woman came for treatment. She was clearly well-off—whether wealthy or even an oligarch I could not tell—but her mother had cancer, and she asked my wife, “Your husband prays for his patients, right? How much does prayer cost?” My wife smiled and suggested she simply make an appointment for her mother, and we would discuss it together. During that visit we discovered that the daughter was married to an engineer who worked internationally and commuted weekly between Moscow, Nice, and Frankfurt—always accompanied by his wife. Meanwhile, the grandmother took care of their young daughter, ensuring proper schooling and a stable upbringing. Without her, none of this family plan would work.
- I began asking the Russian grandmother some questions, and the daughter translated. Then I asked the daughter, “Have you ever translated a prayer before?” She hesitated. “No, never—I’m not sure that’s even possible.” But as she translated my first sentence, the mother quickly said in Russian, “You don’t need to translate. When the doctor prays, I understand every word.”
- Two weeks later, my wife received a bouquet—the largest she had ever been given. Hidden inside were two tins of caviar. When she asked the daughter how things were going, the young woman was still overwhelmed. Before her operation, her mother had been re-examined, and since the lump in her breast could no longer be found, the ultrasound was repeated. Finally, the operation was called off. The doctors decided to send her home. “Spontaneous remission,” they said. “Rare, but it happens.”
Weeks later, on Maundy Thursday, the daughter showed up again—not for treatment, but restless and shifting from foot to foot. “To which church can I give a donation? I can’t celebrate Easter without giving thanks first.” I later heard she eased her conscience with a donation of one thousand euros. That’s what true gratitude looks like.
A grateful way of life
- Today I visited an elderly lady, former teacher again. She was 99 when we first met; now she is 102 and eagerly awaiting her 35th great-grandchild. When I ask, “How are you, do you have any pain?” she usually replies, “Pain? None that I can recall.” The truth is, she occasionally falls—because she suddenly decides to get out of bed and take a walk with her rollator. Sometimes she runs out of strength for the last few meters and ends up lying on the street. The last time she broke her arm, I asked, “Why did this happen again?” She answered instantly, “Well, I can’t just stay in bed all day!” Then she told me with emotion about the young couple who found her and stayed until the ambulance came. “He held my head and comforted me like a mother. I will never stop praying for him.”
- That young man most likely has no idea why his life took a decisive turn that evening. But the old teacher keeps assuring me: “I don’t need to know or master everything. The only important word is ‘thank you.’” And she thanks God even on my behalf—and somehow, I’m doing just fine.
Gratitude in everyday life
- Our grandchildren always remember to say thank you whenever they are invited for a meal—and especially when they can order their favorite dish at Grandma and Grandpa’s table.
- If I don’t forget, I thank my wife for the wonderful meal, too. But when I’m honest, I probably make just as many critical or “helpfully corrective” remarks—always with the best intentions, of course. Somehow, those words come easier. Gratitude always requires a choice first.
- At an IVCG seminar (International Association of Christian Businessmen), a Swiss bank executive gave a brilliant speech and nearly received a standing ovation. Then he lifted his hand, and the room fell silent. “Does everyone have something to write with?” he asked. Back then, people still wrote by hand on real paper. I felt impatient and wanted to leave, but he insisted: “No one leaves this room without completing one last task! Please write down in one sentence what you will do differently starting today. We make this promise before God.” For many of us, the atmosphere suddenly deepened. I wrote, “From now on, I will prepare coming home with a prayer.”
- I placed that note in the drawer with my house keys—the drawer I had to open before leaving the office. A day or two later, my wife asked, “What happened to you? You’ve changed!” And indeed, everything changed once I began thanking the Lord daily for my wife and children and rejoicing each time I made it home on time.
Gratitude is a key to the heart of God
- Psalm 42:11 Why are you downcast, O my soul, and why so disturbed within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise Him, my help and my God.
- Psalm 50:23 Whoever offers thanks as a sacrifice honors me, and to him I will show the salvation of God.
How do you give thanks?
- We all know the harvest festival of thanksgiving. And anyone who has ever joined an American Thanksgiving dinner will remember one or another turkey that needed to be conquered. That kind of celebration is far closer to the Jewish way of rejoicing than the German version.
- The Jewish people celebrate Purim—a festival of joy that commemorates their deliverance from persecution. It involves colorful costumes, festive meals, gifts, charity, and exuberant happiness. Mourning and fasting are forbidden that day—quite the opposite! People feast, laugh, and dance. This is how God envisions gratitude and fellowship with us—not bad at all, don’t you think?