A Powerful Two-Word Prayer
“If the only prayer you ever say is, ‘Thank you,’ it will be enough.” – Meister Eckhart
I have often read this quote, but seldom reflected on its meaning. Think about it … if the only prayer we say is, “Thank you,” those two words are powerful and beautiful. They are extremely important to offer to others and to God. It should automatically come out of our hearts and mouths. People can be easily hurt when we treat them like we expect them to wait on us. God created us all equal, so we all should be grateful for whatever others do for us. If we say “please,” that “thank you” should escape from our lips just as quickly. St. Francis knew this as he sang The Canticle of Creatures. It was a humble and heartfelt “Thank you!” to God for everything! He understood what gratitude meant not just to us humans, but to our God!
Try taking time one day—or even one week—to see how often you hear the words “thank you” come out of not only others’ mouths, but your own as well. Usually a smile accompanies the “thank you.” Think about making God smile when we are grateful to him. St. Francis knew what a blessing all of creation was to us. Thank you, God, and God’s people!
During November let us pay attention to these three words: thankful, grateful, and blessed. We do this so that by December they will be part of our everyday vocabulary and prayer. By the way, “God bless you” is the spiritual way of thanking someone, so that counts as a “thank you.”