I grew up learning what were called the rules of common courtesy. Requests contained the word “please” and were follow with the words, “thank you.” Another’s thank you was to be responded to with, “You’re welcome.” We were to hold doors open for others. Stand in the presence of elders. Greet people with a handshake and a smile. Not interrupt when someone was talking but wait for a pause in the conversation. I tried to pass these common courtesies on to my children.
I say all that because this morning I am laughing at myself. I often use the “Alexa” function on my Kindle, or the “Hey Google” function on my phone to set an alarm or a timer. This morning it was, “Alexa, set a timer for 45 minutes starting now.”
To which Alexa (on my Kindle) responded, “Setting a timer for 45 minutes starting now.” Then I told my automated “Alexa” system, “thank you.” It did not acknowledge my thank you nor respond with “You’re welcome.” You know you’ve learned your “thank you” common courtesy well when you say it to an inanimate object.
But have I learned my “thank you” common courtesy well? Especially when my thanksgiving should be offered to God for all He has done and is doing and will do for me. Do I thank Him on the difficult days as well as the pleasant ones? Do I thank Him amid the trials, or the pain, or the discouragement, or the grief?
I hope I do. I try to do so. I’m just not sure I do it enough. “Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of lips that confess his name” [Heb 13:15]
