Don’t Forget to Say Thank You
I was standing in line at the grocery store last weekend.
Nothing profound.
Just fluorescent lights and a cart full of produce.
In front of me was a young mom and her little boy.
He had grabbed a pack of gum and insisted the cashier scan it immediately.
The cashier glanced at Mom.
She nodded.
Beep.
The gum was handed back to him, and he immediately started tearing into the wrapper, fully absorbed in the prize he had just secured.
He never looked up.
Never made eye contact.
Never acknowledged the person who made it happen.
The mom gently but firmly said,
“Don’t forget to say thank you.”
That moment stayed with me.
Because gratitude is not automatic.
It has to be taught.
Children have to be reminded that someone else made this possible.
And if I’m honest, so do I.
I can move through entire seasons of answered prayers and never pause long enough to look up.
Opportunities open.
Doors swing wide.
Provision shows up.
And I start unwrapping the gift before I acknowledge the Giver.
Entitlement grows in a heart that stops speaking gratitude.
The older I get, the more I realize gratitude is not a feeling.
It is a discipline.
It requires awareness.
It requires humility.
It requires lifting my eyes from the thing in my hands to the One who placed it there.
Sometimes I need the same reminder that little boy got.
Don’t forget to say thank you.
Not just for the obvious blessings.
For breath.
For strength.
For another sunrise.
For mercy that met me before I was fully awake and gave me a gift I didn’t deserve.
I don’t want to be so busy enjoying what I’ve been given that I forget to acknowledge who gave it.
Gratitude keeps my heart soft.
Gratitude keeps pride small.
Gratitude keeps perspective clear.
Maybe maturity looks a lot like this:
Learning to look up.
If this resonates, share it with someone who might need the reminder today.
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