Showing Thanks in Ink
My parents are my favorite people in the whole world and a huge part of why I am the way I am. Growing up, one of the habits that they impressed upon my siblings and me was the importance of writing thank you notes! In addition to being blessed with the example of my parents in this area, I had the privilege of observing my grandparents, Steve and Judy Severance, who faithfully wrote thank you notes their whole lives. In fact, Papa used to write the grandkids thank you notes for the thank you notes! Usually they contained cash which was great motivation for speedy note writing.
So, if you aren’t in the habit of writing thank you notes, I have three reasons that I think you might consider it. The first is the example of the apostle Paul. On several occasions, he wrote to a group of believers to tell them that he was thinking of them and to mention specific ways he was encouraged by and thankful for them (Eph 1, Phil 1, Col 1, 1 Thess 1). Whether it is a note thanking someone for a gift or a specific way they’ve served, taking time to tell someone particular things you appreciate about them is a valuable and biblical principle. Second, writing someone a physical letter takes time and shows real effort. Not that a text isn’t still encouraging, but taking the time out of your day to do something inconvenient shows the recipient that they are valuable to you. Finally, the notes provide special memories in physical form. I am one of those people who has piles and piles of letters that I’ve collected over the years. I refuse to throw them away no matter how much space they take up. Although all of them are special, now that both of my grandparents have gone to be with Jesus, theirs are especially dear to me. Also, my brother Eric writes a poem in his thank you notes and now I have years of poems stored up that I can’t wait to show to his future wife to embarrass him!
No matter how old you are or if you’ve never done it before, if writing thank you notes isn’t a habit for you - it’s not too late! Start tomorrow by writing a thank you note to someone who serves in our church or a member of your family who has been working hard. Sit down with your kids and help them write one to their teacher. Set aside dedicated time to write thank you notes for all the Christmas gifts you got - don’t worry, it’s only a month late! Whatever it looks like for you, let God use you in this way in 2025.