SortingBeans

Okay, I can just picture some of you with squinted eyes, scrunched brows, and a silent “What??” emerging from your brain.

Some of you have trouble saying “Thank you” and “You’re welcome.”

Is this you? Good.





If this is you, then you’re who I want to speak to today.

I’ve been part of many ministries. I’ve been in Student Ministries as a Student Leader, a prayer team member praying personally with people who approach you, Baptism Team member and leader gathering people and also baptizing them, evangelism witnessing to people randomly on the streets, outreach leader/pastor coordinating outreach activities and evangelism opportunities, worship team member, worship team leader, teaching pastor, small group leader, discipleship ministry leader, and a few others.

I’m not tooting my own horn here. Instead, I share this with you so that you will know I have experience in interacting with others, a lot. Which means, I have heard from people many times the kind words, “Thank you,” and compliments similar to, “That was really good.”

Now, as one who does ministry, I have been very reluctant to say, “Thanks” or “You’re welcome.” But why?

I think for starters, we’re afraid we will steal God’s glory

But this is not true. You will not steal God’s glory. He will be glorified with or without you.

I think most of the time people who are “working” for the Lord want to give God as much praise as they can. It’s a noble thing, really. I believe people have good intentions in doing so.

But what happens if all we ever do in response to an honest praise or a warm “Thank you” is to say, “Oh, it’s not me, it’s God”? What does that cause in the interaction or relationship between you and that person?

When we act like it was not us who just did that “thing” (what ever it is/was), which someone else enjoyed and/or benefited from, we become a bit impersonal and risk diminishing our witness.

If we don’t say “Thanks” or “You’re welcome,” we may risk disconnect

Why? Because no human in his or her right mind would not say that he or she did not just perform that guitar solo, which everyone CLEARLY saw. No one would say “I didn’t change that tire” after getting up from just bolting it on. No one would say, “I didn’t preach that sermon,” or ,”I didn’t just pray for you,” when in fact you did.

Imagine how that sounds to someone who may not know Jesus. Heck, it sounds odd to me, and I’m a Christian!

Listen, God has given each one of us gifts and talents. We get to use these to glorify Him and reflect His goodness to others. But don’t forget, we also get to enjoy our Lord through the use of our gifts. And if that produces in someone thankfulness for what we’ve done, we need to say “Thanks” or “You’re welcome.”

Of course, it doesn’t have to stop there. You can always move forward, AFTER saying thanks. Then you can tell that person why YOU are so grateful for the gift(s) God has given you.

Let me ask you this: When you hear Jesus say to you the words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant,” are you going to say “Thank you”?

Or when Jesus says, “Thank you for serving me. For when I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me,” are you going to tell Him, “You’re welcome, Lord. Anything for you”?

Due to recent criticism, I feel the need to explain my closure: I do not intend to make Scripture fit my bill. Instead, I’m using an illustration to point to something relevant, which is to ask yourself if you ever think Jesus will say “thanks” to you? And if He does, will you welcome His thanks? Point is this: You don’t have to be ultra-humble insomuch that you cannot receive honest praise from someone else (which would be false humility). When someone gives you a warm compliment, just say thanks. Then you can tell them how God has blessed you! I’ve meet too many people (I used to be one, and fight being one now!) who would turn down a thanks or a “you’re welcome” because they’ve thought they had to reference EVERYTHING to God. It’s okay to receive a thanks. That’s the point of this post and my apologies for making it sound like anything other than that.

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