Give thanks with a grateful heart. Unknown
Yesterday this quote hit me in a different way. Not necessarily a new way but a different one.
When we give thanks with our lips but our hearts aren't grateful then all we are doing is giving lip service and that just doesn't get it done. When we pay lip service but our hearts don't believe it then it is obvious. You may not think anyone can tell that you don't believe it but trust me, people can tell. Giving thanks with our lips but not our hearts tells others that we are insincere, shallow, and liars. Ouch, kinda harsh isn't that Beth? Yes it is but usually truth is hard to hear. If our hearts aren't grateful then keep the lips still. That will save a lot of embarrassment for everyone involved.
What to do when we don't think we are grateful? Well don't speak for heavens sake! But examine your heart, examine why you don't think you are grateful. Is it because the gift, in whatever form, isn't your style or choice? That's kind of shallow isn't it? If the person's heart and intentions behind it were pure and for you then you can be grateful no matter what the gift is.
A few years ago I was given a gift I didn't really care for. And to make it "worse" I was given it in front of a large group of people who were all beaming at me and so excited to be gifting me with this particular item. WHAT TO DO? Well, recognize the heart and intention behind the gift. And the fact was that the gift was handmade for me out of a heart that was blessed by me and wanted to bless me. So I accepted it with a grateful heart. I gave thanks for it sincerely because while the actual gift wasn't what I would have chosen I was able to recognize that the heart behind it was the bigger and better gift. So I could give thanks with a grateful heart. Had I not been able to get past my selfishness and paid lip service to it I know it would have turned into a strained moment. Lip service never gets it done - and I'm not talking just about in the area of gratefulness. Lip service in any area of life never accomplishes what the speaker thinks it will.
What about you? How does today's quote impact you? Have you ever thought about it in this way? What can you do to make sure you aren't paying lip service to people?
Yesterday this quote hit me in a different way. Not necessarily a new way but a different one.
When we give thanks with our lips but our hearts aren't grateful then all we are doing is giving lip service and that just doesn't get it done. When we pay lip service but our hearts don't believe it then it is obvious. You may not think anyone can tell that you don't believe it but trust me, people can tell. Giving thanks with our lips but not our hearts tells others that we are insincere, shallow, and liars. Ouch, kinda harsh isn't that Beth? Yes it is but usually truth is hard to hear. If our hearts aren't grateful then keep the lips still. That will save a lot of embarrassment for everyone involved.
What to do when we don't think we are grateful? Well don't speak for heavens sake! But examine your heart, examine why you don't think you are grateful. Is it because the gift, in whatever form, isn't your style or choice? That's kind of shallow isn't it? If the person's heart and intentions behind it were pure and for you then you can be grateful no matter what the gift is.
A few years ago I was given a gift I didn't really care for. And to make it "worse" I was given it in front of a large group of people who were all beaming at me and so excited to be gifting me with this particular item. WHAT TO DO? Well, recognize the heart and intention behind the gift. And the fact was that the gift was handmade for me out of a heart that was blessed by me and wanted to bless me. So I accepted it with a grateful heart. I gave thanks for it sincerely because while the actual gift wasn't what I would have chosen I was able to recognize that the heart behind it was the bigger and better gift. So I could give thanks with a grateful heart. Had I not been able to get past my selfishness and paid lip service to it I know it would have turned into a strained moment. Lip service never gets it done - and I'm not talking just about in the area of gratefulness. Lip service in any area of life never accomplishes what the speaker thinks it will.
What about you? How does today's quote impact you? Have you ever thought about it in this way? What can you do to make sure you aren't paying lip service to people?
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