Reflection for March 2, 2017

" Do you thank the slave for doing what was commanded?"(Luke 17:9)

All of us have been taught to say thank you.  Thank you when someone gives us something or thank you when they do something for us.  We call please and thank you "the magic words" for a reason. And it is also true that most of us like to be thanked.  We may say no thanks are necessary, "just doing my job."  But the reality is that we feel better about what we do, when we are thanked.

While being thanked is important, there are times when we are just doing what we are supposed to do, either because it is in the job description, or it is just the right thing to do.  

So while Jesus may be indicating that we shouldn't expect to be thanked, I know that I try to make it a practice to do so, even if someone is just doing what they are paid to do. I do so mainly because I never know how that person's day is going, and perhaps that one positive word from me, that brief and perhaps unnecessary thank you, might make all the difference in the world to them.

Blessings,
Ed