Sometimes the language of thanks doesn’t come so easily to the tongue.
Like at 11:30 pm, when I was in the middle of making a cake, and no one should be making a cake at that hour, but I was because of ridiculous procrastination. With cake batter all over my apron and hands, I went into the living room and saw a big, long streak of light gray paint over creamy blush. Only this was not art. This was my dear husband trying to help me by covering a long black scratch etched into the wall by a chair. Only he hadn’t noticed that he grabbed the bucket of gray paint for my daughter’s room instead of the “Vanilla Flower” living room bucket.
In one moment, 21 years of Jose’s love, faithfulness, and service went out the window. I thought, “What? He just wrecked my living room wall. What’s up with him?” And I made that one little mistake big in my mind.
Actually my mistake was bigger than his.
Because my man may not be a painter, but he IS a keeper.
He loves God, and he loves me and our kids. He’s sensitive, funny, kind, and merciful. He’s intelligent, discerning, and wise. He fills the car with gas, pays the bills, and does the dishes every night. He makes great conversation. Moreover, he’s made me the happiest woman in the world. (And he did fix that wall!)
Sometimes I need to remind myself of the language of Thanks.
Maybe that’s a language we all need to remember.
- When elections and politics make us wonder if God really rules and reigns.
- When traffic, long bus rides, and supermarket lines send our peace out the window.
- When we’re tired and irritation grows.
- When we don’t see answers to our prayers for healing, for finances, or for a baby.
- When holding on to hope gets too hard.
When we need to remember the language of Thanks, God’s Word reminds us:
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ESV)
Giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me. (Psalm 50:23a, NLT)
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. (Philippians 4:6 NLT)
Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power
and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,
for everything in heaven and earth is yours.
Yours, Lord, is the kingdom;
you are exalted as head over all…
Now, our God, we give you thanks,
and praise your glorious name. (1 Chronicles 29:11,13 NIV)
Let’s keep our hearts set on God and our eyes open to everyday gifts and the wonder He’s working all around us.
Now it’s your turn: Thoughts? Have you had a moment recently when giving thanks was hard?
Join the Faith Spilling Over Facebook Community for 30 Days of Thanks and Praise. Look for a daily word of encouragement.
Linking up with Kelly Balarie’s RaRaLinkup, Holly Barrett’s #TestimonyTuesday, Holley Gerth’s Coffee for your Heart, Crystal Storm’s #HeartEncouragement, and Arabah Joy’s Grace and Truth. Check out these communities for more encouragement.
Dear Betsy, do we live in the same house? With holiday preparations and husband who still can’t read my mind after 40+ years, my mood, mind, and mouth was shifting into “witch on a broom” mode. Then the Holy Spirit nudged me. Now I’m starting my daily quiet time journal entries with simple I’m thankful for … Today I’m thankful for you, your transparency, and encouragement! Blessings for your day
Oh Alice, you’ve made me laugh with your “witch on a broom” metaphor. Describes me to a “T” some days. 🙂 Yes, to simple Thankfulness and always going back to the Word of God.
Yes, there are certainly days when I’d be wise just to not talk at all. Thanks for this reminder to stay close to God’s Word so that my own words will be seasoned with Thanksgiving.
Ha! That’s good, Michele. Days when it would be wiser just not to talk at all! I’ll definitely try to remember that.
I am grateful for how you approached “thanks” in this post. We forget that giving thanks can look many different ways. The times that giving thanks is the hardest thing we can do are the times we most definitely need to verbalize it with grace and love.
You provide words that speak to me and Scripture to strengthen my foundation. Thank you Betsy.
Thanks for reading, Mary. It means a lot to me. Thanks for your encouraging words always.
So timely, Betsy, and beautifully written! The language of thanks can only come from God.
Yes, Julie! Only from God. 🙂
Sooooo true!! Thank you for this timely article. Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Blessings to you, Marge!
I like to rush past Thanksgiving, because Christmas is what I”m most thankful for…but it’s so important to pause and earnest thank God for all of His blessings.
Happy #TestimonyTuesday!
Megs
Do you know Megs, that Thanksgiving is maybe my favorite holiday? I think it changed for me a few years ago when I began to do a Thanksgiving tree and write things I was thankful for on leaves. I live overseas and have always done this with my local “family,” but last year home in Dallas, we did it with my family in Texas and they loved it. Everyone shares after dinner what they’re thankful. I love the togetherness + thankfulness minus the gifts. 🙂
Betsy- Oh no! The paint story! My own versions instantly come to mind, especially about the dear husband the Lord has given me, who I wouldn’t trade for anything!! And especially as the holiday season begins. Thanks for the wisdom, clarity, and Bible verses to be changed by. Thank you!!
Oh I’m sure you do have your own versions. My husband is GREAT at 101 things, but household repair might not be his strong suit. I love him to the moon and back though. So grateful for him.
Taming the tongue is a difficult task Betsy. I speak from experience. It is like you said, spending time in God’s word renews the heart and a heart of gratitude is the result. I have so much to be thankful for. I want respond with a love like Jesus in all situations. Have a blessed weekend. May God continue to bless you and yours. What kind of cake? I love cake…Yum!
It was a lemon cake, Horace! 🙂 Yes, taming the tongue starts with giving God control of the heart, doesn’t it?
“God’s Word renews our hearts so that the language of #thanks comes more naturally to our tongues.” What a beautiful word, Betsy! Thank you for this reminder today.
Thanks to you for reading, Lauren. Blessings on your week.
I love your phrase “the language of thanks,” Betsy. I’m actually speaking it today, beyond thankful that my new set of much-needed tires cost more than $100 LESS than the price the shop originally quoted me. When does that ever happen? 🙂 But yeah, I also need to remember the host of good things about my loved ones when incidents like your unsightly paint swoop happen around me!
Oh yes, what a wonderful grace to pay $100 less for tires. Glad you’re seeing it that way. 🙂
Betsy, such a beautiful post. I, too, have not always been quick to speak the language of thanks. When we first moved into our home, my husband had come out two weeks early to oversee renovations. When the kids and I arrived, all I could see was the ugly blinds and the 1″ country blue tiled counter. The dirt. The “undone-ness” of our home. I forgot to look at the love he had poured into making our home as ready as possible when the boys and I arrived. Yeah, the Lord convicted me on that. He also reminded me the power of a “thank you.”
I so appreciate your wisdom and perspective!
Thanks for sharing your story here, Jeanne. I can totally put myself in your place and know I’d also be prone to see what is not right rather than give thanks for what is. Blessings on you and yours.
I know I have much to be thankful for and I do thank GOD every day for those many blessings. However, I am married to a staunch atheist (if we’re watching a movie and the image of a church spire is sighted in the background, my husband will change the channel so fast you’d think a fire was started under his chair!) and I have to be reminded at times that I need to thank the LORD even for my husband and keep him in my prayers daily. GOD loves a miracle and I am believing a big one in our household. Thank you for your message today.
I’m praying for you and for your marriage right now, Valenchia: Lord, pour out your grace over my sister. Give her faith for a miracle and a sweet spirit to love her husband. Fill her home with your Holy Spirit.
So good Betsy and really needed by many, myself included. I try to really be purposeful with my thanks even in the ‘not so obviously’ thankful moments, but some days/moments are easier to do this in. Thank you for reminding us!
Yes, some days it’s easier than others! Yes to grace, which is always ours. 🙂
Yep. Me too. I wish it got easier.
Love that verse in Psalm!
Hi Betsy,
I had to laugh about the paint mix-up AND you baking a cake at that hour! That is a sure recipe for your emotions to bubble over! I love that you managed to find the good in your husband’s effort and recognize that there’s a reason for thanks in everything.
Yes, you’re right about the sure recipe! I don’t know why I set myself up for things like that. 🙂
Betsy,
I know how much a word of “thanks” means to me and it is more blessed to give than to receive. Really trying this month (and forward) to offer thanks to God for 3 blessings each day, one praise, and now a verbal thanks to someone else. With so much thanking and praising to do – no time for the “grumbles”. Thanks for your always upbeat words…
Blessings,
Bev
Bev! What a great idea. A verbal thanks to someone else. I may add that as well. Such a wonderful idea. Thank you. Your comments always bless me.
Betsy,
Love this! For me, it is such a daily battle at times to speak thanks again and again, especially when disappointments happen. Thanks for your wisdom 🙂
Thanks for reading, Dolly. Yes, it’s a daily battle, but let’s stay in it!
I love the little story you tell on yourself in this post. The language of thankfulness sometimes gets stuck in my grumpy pocket… I’m learning to choose gratitude more than I used to. So I’m thankful for progress.
Oh yes, Ginger. I have one of those grumpy pockets too. Gotta rip that thing off from the back of my pants. 🙂 and yes to imperfect progress.
I loved this, Betsy. Procrastination is my middle name and that is when the things start to pile on. I have good intentions but then I wait. The frustration rises. I need to remember my language of gratitude. Thanks also for sharing with us every week at Sitting Among Friends!
Thanks, Jaime. I appreciate you!
and if we can’t find the words, His Word gives us ample opportunities to pray those blessed Scriptures right back to Him.
our hearts get softened before His throne, our attitudes change, we get renewed and revitalized.
praise God …
Yes, I love praying scripture back when words fail.
A great reminder, Betsy, to think before we speak, and be sure we mean what we say. I remember hearing a pastor teach us to consider the person’s heart – both in caring for it and in remembering that generally (even if they paint our wall the wrong color) their intentions were good. I have to remind myself of that in my own “wrong wall color” moments! 😉
Yes, it’s so good to think before we speak. Other than laugh, I really didn’t say much that night. Because I could see my dear husband felt bad enough. Yes to considering the other’s heart.
Thanksgiving is an art I need to practice every day. I have so much to be grateful for, even among hard circumstances.
Yes, Barbie. I’m trying to practice it daily too. Grace to both of us.
I’ve been feeling like I’d just like to hibernate the last week or so. I’m a combination of introvert and extrovert, and with all the stressors I’ve been experiencing, the introvert is trying to take over. I’m definitely finding it a challenge to stay thankful all day long every day.
It seems like the language of thanks is a miraculous tongue when we are filled with the spirit. When we walk in the flesh, it becomes a religious drudgery. I believe that what God desires for us is the first rather than the second. But sometimes we do just have to put one foot in front of the other as we cry out for God’s help to overcome the doldrums.
I’m praying for you now, Ruth. Lord, pour out your grace over Ruth and fill her with your Holy Spirit. Renew her strength and her heart!
Yes to speaking the language of thanks miraculously. I couldn’t agree with you more, Ruth, that it’s just religious drudgery when we’re walking in our own strength or our flesh. Thanks for reading today.
It’s so easy to forget to be thankful, isn’t it!
Thanks for sharing these verses and the reminder to continue to be thankful to the Lord no matter what is going on around us!
Hope you and your family have a very Happy Thanksgiving!
“Because my man may not be a painter, but he IS a keeper.” I think this statement with an empty spot in for ‘painter’ would be such a great thing to keep posted at my desk as a reminder to me. My hubby sure is a keeper. And silly mistakes and quirks should not trump the truth of who he is. Thanks for sharing this on Grace and Truth.
That’s a great idea to post this where we can see it, Aimee. I’m so forgetful. I need a reminder.