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Apples of Gold
By Jean Jantzen
“Happiness is like a rare species of butterfly--seldom caught and
sure to die in captivity. But if you are very, very still, it may alight
near you; where you can revel in the golden lustre of its wings, the
subtle poise of its body, the matchless grace of its flight.” Doctor
Herbert Shelton
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Do you know what apples of gold are? Have you heard that expression
before? Sometimes we owe others around us apples of gold. What, you may
say? How can I owe anyone apples of gold?
In Proverbs we are told that “words aptly spoken are like apples of gold
in settings of silver” (Proverbs 25:11). There are two little words that
we all love to hear and fit that description. And many times we owe them
to others. They are “thank-you”.
The etymology in the Miriam Webster Dictionary of the word “thank” is
from Old English thancian; akin to Old English thanc or gratitude. I
know you’ve heard many times before that we should be grateful or we
should say thank- you, but I want us to look at it from a slightly
different angle.
I want to relate a story demonstrating the importance of these words.
One stormy night in Lake Michigan, a side-wheeler steamboat was rammed
by another boat. The steamboat sank just a mile offshore from the
village of Winnetka, Illinois. Out of 393 passengers on board, 279
drowned.
A man named Edward Spencer after seeing the situation unfold plunged
into the lake and swam to the drowning people. He towed one person to
shore and went for another. In all, he brought seventeen people to
safety. However, the strain on this young man caused him to collapse.
The nerves in his legs were so completely destroyed that he could never
walk again. He was an invalid wheelchair victim for his entire life. On
his eightieth birthday, someone asked him to relate his most vivid
memory of that dreadful day. He replied, “Not one of the seventeen
returned to thank me.”
What ungrateful wretches we might think! And so they were. This man did
not seem to mind the heavy price he paid for his heroic efforts, but was
more concerned that his actions were not appreciated or acknowledged by
those he had helped. He had not received his just reward—his “apples of
gold.”
This was an unusual and one-time happening, but what about everyday
little things? Do they count? How often do we hear …or voice these
simple but eloquent words?
Do we take little acts of kindness, or things we receive every day for
granted?
For example: someone brings us a glass of water, or makes us a sandwich,
or rubs our neck, or passes us the salt and pepper at the dinner table,
and on and on and on. Is saying thank-you necessary or worthwhile? Why
all the fuss? Don’t people know we are thankful? Why do we need to say
it?
Saying thanks is more than just saying a few words. It acknowledges that
we are aware of some act of kindness or thoughtfulness done for us by
others or showing appreciation for what we receive.
QUESTION: Do you think a child should be required to say "thank you" and
"please" around the house?
DR. DOBSON: I sure do. Requiring these phrases is one method of
reminding the child that his is not a "gimme-gimme" world. Even though
his mother is cooking for him and buying for him and giving to him, he
must assume a few attitudinal responsibilities in return. Appreciation
must be taught, and this instructional process begins with fundamental
politeness at home.
As a little child or even a child of God, what can we give back but a
simple thank you? but to the recipient they are “apples of gold.” But do
we? Do we take the kind actions of others or our answered prayers for
granted? Do we feel we deserve things from others without saying a word
of thanks? Are we like the nine lepers who did not come back to Jesus
and say thank-you for healing them, or are we like the one who did?
(Luke 17:12-20).
Has this simple act of showing our appreciation gone by the wayside like
the ungrateful lepers?
This principle of acknowledging others by saying thank-you applies to
all ages. No one likes to be taken for granted, no matter what age.
Being thanked encourages young or old, rich or poor to continue in that
important attitude of service to another. Saying thank-you never goes
out of style.
What about in the world of business? Is saying thank-you important? You
bet it is! Saying thank-you is so crucial, that sending a note of thanks
may make the difference between getting a job, or not, or even a job
promotion. Public Relations demand that one knows the basic rules of
etiquette to get along in the business world. Not saying “thank-you”
tells a lot about a person’s character. A person who demonstrates his
thoughtfulness by saying thank-you is well thought of by his co-workers
and employers and is more likely to succeed than one who does not.
What does God have to say about thankfulness or gratitude?
Timothy tells us it is an essential ingredient missing in the character
of our people today.
Timothy prophesied people will choose to be lovers of their own selves,
covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, . . .Having a form of
godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away” (2 Tim
3:1-5).
Unthankful sits side by side with all those other big bad character
traits and is so important if we are not thankful we will not be in
God’s Kingdom.
Instead God instructs us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 “No matter what
happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong
to Christ Jesus.”
So being unthankful is an attitude, a sin of omission, which denies
others their apples of gold.
On the Oprah Winfrey show, Sarah Ban Breathnach author of Simple
Abundance said, “Gratitude is the most passionate transformative force
in the cosmos.” So that everyone can experience the transformational
rewards of being grateful, Ban Breathnach designed a day-by-day journal
for counting one's blessing. Years of disciplined gratitude have taught
her that “if you give thanks for five gifts every day, in two months you
may not look at your life in the same way as you might now.” Ideally,
the journal writer will feel less discontent and “complicated need” and
instead feel more awareness of simple abundance.
Another response to the book was:
“I wholeheartedly embraced the concept of gratitude in my daily outlook
on things, and oh my! it changed my world. Nothing bothered me, nothing
made me angry or sad because I was so overwhelmed at how much I had to
be grateful for. I do attribute my life to God. It is so freeing to not
worry about bad little things and to revel in the glorious little things
that add up so quickly into an enormous mountain of good fortune. As I
wrote down the myriad things I had to be thankful for, I was truly
knocked over at how good I have it.”
So it seems, according to these people . . . saying thank-you does just
as much for the one saying it as for the one receiving it. I thought we
should go one step further than the book suggests, not only should we
write down what we are grateful for, we should actually say thanks
personally and say it often, giving freely apples of gold.
It’s like saying I love you. Most people just don’t say it. I don’t mind
helping my children, my spouse or others, but it makes it all worth
while when they do say thank-you. My existence has been acknowledged, my
efforts to please are being noticed, the apples of gold nourish me.
My husband and do a daily bike ride, some of it around a dike where old
and young enjoy walking, rollerblading or bicycling. To let people know
we are coming we ring our bells. People are quick to move over and let
us pass. We could just pass them without saying anything. We had warned
them we were there, wasn’t that enough? We had fulfilled the letter of
the law. What a difference when I started to acknowledge and to put into
words that we were thankful for their efforts on our behalf. I would say
a simple thank-you as we passed by. The warm response was a big smile
and “your welcome”.
So make a habit of looking someone in the eye, smiling, and say a
heartfelt thank-you! Just think— every time you say thank-you you are
giving apples of gold. Two little words make all the difference in the
world.
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