Voices of Faith: The power of 'thank you'

Thank you. Two words that mean so much to the giver and the receiver. Showing gratitude is important. Getting appreciation from others is important. In everything you do, show love and gratefulness.

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

I believe in the power of a good, purposeful, and hearty THANK YOU.

I think about the tiny thank yous my little Kaylan would give when she was a toddler, “Tak u.” So sweet. I saw her admiration and love. I felt the full breadth of her mumbled words. Think back to those little thank yous. The ones from your babies, the ones from the person you served at work, or the ones from the grocery clerk. They all mean something. Someone took the time to acknowledge you and how you showed up in their world.

Thanks can be small and simple. Or, thanks can also be given in a grand and awe-inspiring way.

Those lifeblood giving I love you for all you do for me thanks. Those soul-stirring thanks where the moment is raw and real. I remember when I got those thanks. I was lying in a hospital room. Across the room, a tiny bundle of pure joy let out its first tiny cries. After I heard those little noises, I heard a small and mighty thank you. Thank you in a whisper from their Daddy. We have two kiddos. Both times, he showed his love, admiration, and joy with two simple words. My son is turning 2. Every birthday takes me back to the moment my kiddos were born.

Writing is kind of like giving birth. You open yourself up to the world. I tried to be raw and real. To be vulnerable and express my love for God. I wanted to share how it instructs me to show up to the world. Now, I want to say thank you. This will be my last column in this series. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thanks for reading my contributions to this column, emailing me your thoughts, and helping this faith believer learn more about God. THANK YOU !

Sunny Matthews is a mother, community leader, advocate, and organizer. She is passionate about affecting appreciable change whether it’s through writing, speaking, providing diversity and inclusion training, pushing for policy change, or supporting candidates that move us closer to finally having a just world for all. To connect, reach out to her at dimensionsofism@gmail.com

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Voices of Faith: The power of 'thank you'