Speak Up

After every practice and every game, Jessie would approach me before leaving the field and say: “Thank you, Coach!” During the entire two years she played on our high school girls’ lacrosse team, she never missed a single day of saying those three powerful words. Jessie understood the value of gratitude, and she wanted to make sure I knew that she did not take a single practice or game for granted.

Jessie was like the one leper in Luke 17 who returned and thanked Jesus. Out of the 10 lepers healed by Jesus, only one man scrambled back to say thanks; and it’s noted that he said it loudly. The other nine may have had an attitude of thanks, but never applied their gratitude. A friend of mine says that unexpressed gratitude can often be interpreted as being unthankful.

Thankfulness overflows if we have deep roots in Jesus and if our lives are built on Him. As Christian competitors, if we are over-full with God, then we overflow with thankfulness. Make sure you tell others how grateful you are for them. The power of thankfulness is in the action. Say it loudly!