"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone, or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish, or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? So, if you, being sinful, know how to give good things to your children, how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" (Gospel of Luke, ch. 11, v. 11-13*)
The verb thank is composed of the words good (i.e., good, pleasant) and give. Viewed in this way, we understand that to thank does not mean to say "merci" to someone. Perhaps to a large extent the indiscriminate use of the word thank has deprived it of its powerful action or has distorted its original meaning.
To thank means to be so happy and touched by someone's action towards us that in return we do something good for the same person or someone else as a natural expression of the joy and satisfaction within us. Why might a person have thousands of reasons to thank, yet disappointment dwells in their heart? Let's see what prevents us from living with gratitude.
Discrepancy between our beliefs and God's plans
Imagine for a moment that you are so seriously ill that your only hope is to travel thousands of kilometers to meet a renowned doctor recommended by trusted people. You know your diagnosis, it is proven, and you already see manifestations of the disease. You have spoken with others in your situation, and they have given you information on how their treatment is progressing, what the known therapies are, and the typical interventions in such cases. In your mind, you already have an idea of what type of treatment the doctor should recommend. However, when you arrive at the clinic, the doctor cannot see you. His assistant hands you a handwritten note with a few sentences and a type of pill with an explanation of how to take it. Absurd, right? It seems like a mockery of all your hopes and expectations. The note seems worthless to you.
In the Old Testament, there is a similar story. The Aramean commander Nehemiah is sick with leprosy. He hears from his wife's maidservant that there is a prophet in Israel who can help him. Eventually, Nehemiah goes to the prophet Elisha for healing. However, instead of meeting him, Elisha tells him through his servant to go and dip himself 7 times in the Jordan River, and he will be cleansed. What happens in Nehemiah's heart: "Here, I thought he would truly come out, stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, put his hand on the sick place, and remove the leprosy. Are not the Abana and Pharpar rivers of Damascus better than all the rivers of Israel? Can't I wash in them and be cleansed?" He turned and left angry." (Second Book of Kings, ch. 5, v. 11b-12*) In short: one of the commander's servants persuades him to carry out God's word given through the prophet. After dipping himself 7 times in the Jordan, Nehemiah becomes completely healthy. If you receive an answer from God on the most pressing question in your heart or a solution to a complex situation through His Word, through circumstances, or in any other way, shouldn't you be grateful? Shouldn't you jump for joy? What would prevent your joy? Expectations, of course. Our beliefs prevent us from seeing and recognizing the good given by God. We not only long for something but also, with human hopes, nurture specific images in our minds of how exactly we could receive it. Anything different from our beliefs or inexplicable to our mind leads to fear and disappointment. In the passage from the Gospel of Luke cited at the beginning, God reminds us of something about Himself that is good to keep in mind whenever we cannot seem to say "Thank You." He shows us His character and heart—full of love or even more—pure love. That is, when the Lord permits or does not permit something, it will always be for our best. Alas, it might not coincide with our expectations or even desires. The quoted text says: "how much more will your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him" (the bold font is ours). Ancient Jews did not have the New Testament understanding of the Holy Spirit (from Heb. ruach hakodesh) as one of the persons of the Holy Trinity. For them, He is the divine breath, God's Spirit, who inspires life, leads through prophecies and wisdom, keeping us completely safe. If we want God to lead us and expect from Him the good that only He can give, we can be confident in His fatherly heart, quite incomparably above our hearts or those of our parents. If we believe in this truth, we cannot help but be grateful for absolutely everything. (First Epistle to the Thessalonians, ch. 5, v. 18*)
A grateful heart and a life of gratitude are the fruit of the truth about God and His infallibility and love. If we truly know Him, there is no way we cannot joyfully accept every gift and every intervention of His, leaving us apparently "empty-handed." Not without reason, Jesus teaches us to pray: "your will be done." Most of the time, we understand it one-sidedly—to happen what God wants. However, here lies another meaning—to happen what is best for me according to God's providence. After He gives us this best, our part comes—to thank, but not just with words. To give good!
Challenge for the week: Let this week be the time when gratitude comes alive. Can you set as a goal to use the Bulgarian word thanks instead of merci, thanks or something else? The native language always carries deeper awareness with words. When you want to thank a close person or God this week, can you do it through actions, not words—with a song, with help, with a gift, with something homemade, with a smile, and a hug.
*The biblical quotes are according to the text of the Bible, new translation from the original languages © Bulgarian Bible Society 2013.
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