Nov 22, 2002 By Rev. Alexander Jalso 3 min read

Scripture reading: Luke 18:9-14. “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.” When the children are just a few years old, they are already taught to say, “Thank you,” whenever they receive a gift. Undoubtedly, we have to teach our youngsters good manners, but the question will arise: Was the gift given as a token of love or to elicit gratitude for the generosity? Whenever we say, “Thank you,” it also may imply that the weaker received help from the stronger, the less experienced advice from the smarter, the poorer financial aid from the richer, in other words the mightier may play politics with the less fortunate and oblige him or her to show gratitude.

The level of dependency. Children depend on their parents and grandparents on their children, patients depend their physicians and litigators on their lawyers, lay people depend on experts and foreigners on interpreters. The more we depend on somebody, the more we feel we that we are obliged to be thankful to him or her.

The level of contentment. To whom do you compare yourself?

See what Apostle Paul had to say in this respect: “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” Philippians 4:11, and: “But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” 1 Timothy 6:8.

The level of self-classification. How high do you place yourself on the rungs of the social ladder? When you are at the top everybody owes you, when you at the bottom your are indebted to everyone. The typical case is the Pharisee who prayed in this way: “The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men – robbers, evildoers, adulterers – or even like this tax collector.'” Luke 18:11.

The level of spirituality. The apostles asked the Lord: “Increase our faith!” Luke 17:5. Are not faithfulness and gratefulness twins? Can somebody be thankful when in his/her heart there are more greed than contentment, more hatred than love, more vengeance than forgiveness, more anger then understanding, more impatience then tolerance, more complacency than humbleness?

God does not want us to become either submissive or conceited.

As you can see, grace is incorporated in thankfulness. You know what is grace? Undeserved love. Unless we feel that there are so many things in our life we have received as “undeserved gifts,” we cannot agree with the psalmist: “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” Psalm 100:4.

The Rev. Alexander Jalso is a retired United Presbyterian minister living in Brownsville.