Just this week, the three littles and I were reading bedtime books together, as we do every night before bed.  Cole had picked a lift-the-flap book, of course.  These interactive books have been all my boys’ favorites at that age.  When we came to the page loaded with farm animals and Disney characters, Cole immediately lifts the flap with the horse on it. 

“There’s Mickey!”  Cole exclaims. 

We’ve only read this book a million times, so we all know where Mickey is.  Nevertheless, it’s exciting!  Every.  Single.  Time. 

With unmatched enthusiasm, I responded, “Yep.  What’s Mickey holding?”

“Apple!” Cole says. 

“Good job.  Who’s he giving it to?”  I asked.

“Horsey!”

Searching for a two-year-old’s rendition of a ‘neigh,’ I then asked, “What’s the horsey say?”

Every so sweetly, Cole replies, “Thank you!” 

Fast forward to this weekend, when I’m folding towels upstairs and hear Cole on the main floor sneeze. 

“Bless you, Cole,” I called downstairs. 

None of his brothers would’ve even acknowledged my blessing if they’d sneezed.  But Cole did.  He hollered back, “Thank you, Mommy!”

His gratitude warms my heart.  And I am, in turn, so grateful for him.  I’m grateful for the reminder that a simple heart of gratitude pleases God.  That a grateful response is a good response. 

I’ll be the first to admit, I miss some of the blessings God pours out. I fail to acknowledge all the blessings in my life that He deserves credit for. And I certainly don’t know exactly what God wants me to say or do 100% of the time.  I don’t have all the answers to what the next best step is for this or that particular situation.  Shoot, sometimes I don’t even understand the question or His plan!  How am I supposed to know the answer?   

But I do know this:  Whether the Lord is blessing me or refining me through a trial, whether He is asking me a question, calling me to do something, or telling me to wait – He is worthy to be praised.  He is deserving of our deepest and most sincere gratitude.  He is pleased with our utmost admiration of who He is.  And if Cole’s little thank-yous can fill me with delight, then how much more does my gratefulness please the Lord?

Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians 5:16, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

It’s His will for us.  Similarly, the Bible speaks of gratitude or some variation of being thankful over 150 times.  And over 250 times, the Bible commands us, or makes a declaration, to praise God – which is simply the result of a grateful heart!  Psalm 100 says:

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Know that the LORD is God.

It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

We are never going to know all the answers or respond correctly in every circumstance.  We can choose, however, to praise God with a grateful heart no matter what.  To declare his goodness and faithfulness over our lives.  Always and forever.