Athletes love to be called great. At least I do. It has been awhile since I have heard those words on the field of competition, but I do hear it from my kids every once in a while, so I got that going for me. If you truly are the best, then you are called the greatest of all time. Only a few have reached that level of success, and they are certainly in their respective Halls of Fame.

I think every true competitor has a secret desire to be great, and that is okay. That shows drive and passion. My question isn’t whether or not you are great or even if you have that desire. My question is would you rather be great or grateful?  

In Luke 17, out of the 10 lepers healed by Jesus, only one guy scrambled back to say thanks. I am sure that the other nine wanted to say it, but they just didn't. But that one guy understood the power of saying thanks. It is a simple thing, but sometimes hard to do. A friend of mine says that unexpressed gratitude can often be interpreted as being unthankful. Sometimes it can even be viewed as arrogance or ignorance!

I love it when you meet athletes or coaches who are truly thankful. Their hearts are full of God's goodness, and it pours out. It shows in everything--their speech, attitude and actions. It is a blessing to be around them. They are thankful for the gifts and talents that God has blessed them with. They are thankful for their coaches and teams. They are even thankful for the tough times. But the best part is that they express it. Every day, we should first thank God, and then we should thank the people that God put in our lives. The one thing that prevents me from saying thanks is that I sometimes feel like I deserve what I should be thankful for. The best way to defeat that mentality is to be grateful or thankful.

So go ahead and just say it! What are you waiting for? Say that you are thankful! Tell others that you are grateful for them. Be known as a competitor with a thankful heart.