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Just say, ‘Thank you.’

John Hatcher is pastor of Outreach International Center, 1091 South Jeff Davis Drive, Fayetteville, Georgia 30215. 770-719-0303

There’s a famine in the land. Not of food and water. Not of government or church. Surely not a famine of entertainment. But there is a famine of gratitude. People are starving from a lack of appreciation, affirmation, and plain old acknowledgement.

A new television commercial has snagged our interest in recent weeks. It’s the commercial in which someone blunders in making an observation about another person and attempts a recovery from the awkward situation with the words, “thank you.” Personally I did not know what the commercial was advertising. I had to look it up and found that it promotes Citibank’s new PremierPass credit card rewards program.

A simple “thank you” just may help you out of your awkward situation. Remember the two words. Our only problem in the area of gratitude is that we are not enough. We’re not grateful enough outwardly. I hear you saying to yourself, “Well, I am grateful for the blessings in my life.” Yet as I hear your silent thoughts, I say, “Say it out loud.”

Give a “thank you” as often as you can throughout the day. Give the gas station attendant a thank you for doing his job and serving you. Give your family member a thank you for loving you all these years. Give your mother a thank you for cooking thousands of meals for you. After reading this column, call up a friend and thank him or her for sticking with you all these years.

How about this free newspaper that finds its way into your home every week?

How about sitting down and sending an email of gratitude to the publisher or better yet call the newspaper and say “thank you” for covering the news in Fayette on your behalf (770 719-1880).

What is it with our “thank yous?” Are we afraid we will give out if we keep on thanking people for this or that or for a whole lot of this or that? Gratitude is like love. The more you give, the more you have left over. The more gratitude you give away, the more grateful you become.

When I finish writing this column, I am going to search for the address of a special grade school teacher I had once. I believe he still lives. He, more than likely, does not know how thankful I am for his contribution to my life. I need to write a zillion of those letters. How about you? That high school teacher who believed in you when the rest of the teachers didn’t give you a chance? Write a letter. Send a card. Pick up the phone: “I just called to say, ‘I am thankful for you.’”

What would happen if the remainder of our lives were devoted to gratitude? Not saying quit your day job and buy a ream of paper and forget about everything else. A devotion to gratitude would be a worthy pursuit and purpose. There are people with time on their hands. Burn some hours with words of gratitude.

There are people with misused time. Start redeeming your time today and start being thankful. I genuinely believe you could change the direction of your life by developing a lifestyle of gratitude.

Don’t wait for that awkward moment to recover with the words, “thank you.” Start today by letting gratitude be the hallmark of your life.

Get with it today. Change your old sorry disposition through gratitude. Become a new person. People will be happy to see you coming. You can be a part of a flood of thanksgiving. No more famine around you!

John Hatcher is pastor of Outreach International Center, 1091 South Jeff Davis Drive, Fayetteville, Georgia 30215. 770-719-0303