Why Do We Say Thank You?

 

Everyone likes a thank you. It pleases us. It makes us feel appreciated. We consider it polite. You hold open a door, “Thank You”. Give a little child a piece of candy, “Thank You”. We are usually taught from an early age to say these words. We often look at it as a requirement or necessity. So is there a chance we can over use it – that it becomes “expected” instead of freely given? I have seen people get really bent out of shape because they did something (usually trivial at that) and the person ”forgot” to say thank you. Never mind the fact that the other person may be stressed, deep in thought, or otherwise distracted. Their silent “lack of gratitude” is often met with a very loud and somewhat haughty, “You’re Welcome!” Seems a bit self-serving and nitpicky to me, but hey, I’m just a country boy at heart. So is a thank you required all the time?

A thank you is really meant for extra, unexpected, or undeserved favors. We thank others for helping us or doing something nice. We thank God because He freely gives us everything we don’t deserve. We should serve Him not to gain favor, but to say thank you. Nothing we can ever do will come anywhere near to repaying what He has done for us.

Does obedience deserve a thank you? No, not really. But it can be encouraging non the less. I don’t really expect a thank you for simply doing my expected duties. In fact I find it embarrassing that we have gotten to the point where people are surprised when you actually do what you are told and complete the expected task. If it’s expected, why would I need a thank you? After all, I am getting paid to do the job. Nevertheless, I will always graciously accept any thank you I get, I just think it’s kind of silly.

The Bible talks about this in the light of us being servants. We can never repay what Christ has done for us. He doesn’t say, “Thank You, He says, I Love You.” We are the ones that should be saying thank you. And we can, by being good servants. (The “well done good and faithful servant” comes later.)

“Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’ . Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

Luke 17:7-10