Chapter 7 of the Book Winning the War on Worry by Louie Giglio

 Do you remember who was the first person who ever taught you about "thank you" being one of the magic words?

I really do not remember. The concept of saying "thank you" has been so ingrained in me since my first consciousness that I could not pin-point who was the first person who ever instilled that rule in my heart. And yes, we also think "thank you" is one of the "magic words" in the cultures of the people who speak Spanish. We have adults telling us in very stern voices and with raised eyebrows, something like: "¿Cómo se dice?" or "what do you say?" every time we are supposed to say thank you. So early on, we learn.

The question is: WHY??? Why do societies place such an importance on making sure children grow up knowing how and when to say this expression of gratitude? Why is it so crucial that we learn it? 

Did you know that expressing thanks is not as universal as we think? In some cultures, it might even be considered rude and/or a sign of vanity to say something like "thank you." That blows my MIND!

More interestingly, did you know it is within the Judeo-Christian world where the concept of gratitude is most deeply rooted and practiced? 

Look at these trivia bits: in China, they don't really say thank you because they think the favor will come back around in the future. In other Asian countries, they view saying "thank you" as distancing, insincere, rude or even too sarcastic to be appreciated. Some indigenous languages don't even have a word for "thank you." In Hebrew, however, expressing gratitude is key...especially when praying. Check this out. As I was reading about these things, I found out that the very word for a Jewish person (Yehudi in Hebrew) has the same root as giving thanks – which is hoda’a in Hebrew. So, instead of calling the Jewish people – People of the Book, linguistically it would make more sense to call them “the Grateful People”! It is no wonder then, that regions of the world where the principles of Judeo-Christianity have had a great impact, would place such emphasis on being grateful. 

Pastor Giglio in chapter 7 of his book Winning the War on Worry brings up a ton of important ideas to ponder. One of them is the role of a grateful heart when waging the war against worrying. He brings the point home by citing Philippians 4: 6-7,

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus"

Did you notice the little phrase "with thanksgiving"? Pastor Giglio wants us to really pay attention to that little combination of words tucked in the middle of this powerful piece of Scripture. He wants us to realize that a grateful heart is instrumental on this battle against worry, which in essence is the battle for our minds. When worry attacks, we literally lose our minds. We lose control over our minds and we spiral down into a pit of negativity and despair that is very difficult to climb out of on our own. The best course of action is to not allow ourselves to descend down those depths of darkness. Sometimes, however, the weight of our circumstances is so heavy that we slip and fall. It is then that we must recover our minds and remember God's Word that encourages us to pray and to be thankful..."in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5: 18). Notice the call is to be thankful in... it doesn't say for all circumstances. So in our darkest hour we recall the Goodness of God and His enduring love, and all His attributes and all He is and all He has done for us and how He has rescued us before so He will rescue us again, and we thank Him in advance for all of that and we dwell in Him, seeking His Light and trusting He is holding us as we continue to thank Him in our hour of worry.

See, the devil knows gratitude pulls us out of the pit...that's why he doesn't want us to remember to be grateful in every circumstance. He feeds his lies to us telling us "really? You are thankful for this??? What kind of a cruel god gives you garbage and then asks you to be grateful for it? But it is "in" it...not "for" it so don't listen to the enemy, listen to the truth, and the truth is that "gratefulness is a torpedo that sinks worry," like Pastor Giglio says. "Gratitude opens the doorway for praise, and praise dispels fear. Worry and worship cannot be in our mouths at the same time. One always displaces the other." (96)

So, I encourage us to try this together. Next time we are either descending or already down there, in the darkest corner of the pit of worry, let's start thanking God. Let's start recalling our blessings, naming them one by one...maybe we should have a list of blessings written down so we can read them out loud at this moment...and let's see what happens. What do we have to lose? Nothing. We have nothing to lose and a whole lot to win. Although we do have one thing to lose: worry. For, as we praise and thank God for our blessings, worry will begin to lose its power in us and the peace that transcends all understanding will begin to flow like a river.

Even though I can't remember who was the first person to teach me about saying "thank you," I'm so glad I grew up in a culture where they teach kids to be grateful. It is a most crucial weapon to win this war, indeed!

Let's wrap it up with the prayer at the end of chapter 7:

Father, I just want to say thank You. thank You for saving me. Thank You for seeing me when I was far off. Thank You for the power of Your cross to overcome every bit of darkness and despair. thank You for being able when I am not, for being awake and alert and mindful of me. You are infinite and intimate, and I bow in adoration of You. Amen!