I read once about a man who formed the habit of writing “thank you” in the lower left hand corner of each check as he paid his bills.  It was a reminder to him to be grateful for what that check represented.

When he wrote a check to the phone company or one of the utilities, he put “thank you” in the corner.  He would pause and thank God for all the ways in which his life was made more comfortable by these companies that provided him with their services.

When he wrote a check to the bank for his monthly mortgage payment, he would write “thank you” in the corner, and pause a moment to reflect on the comfort of  having a roof over his head.

When he paid his water bill he wrote “thank you” in the corner.  He thought to himself that the water might not be all that great tasting and probably had chemicals in it. But he remembered how his forefathers had to pump water at the well in the winter and worry about it going dry in the summer.  He thanked God for the water.

When he wrote his income tax check in April, he even wrote “thank you” on that check!  He knew that a computer might not notice it, but he did it for his own benefit.  It reminded him that he was thankful for all the benefits that being an American provides.

I love Thanksgiving season!  I am always convicted by it!  I am going through every check I wrote last month and thanking God for the blessings that each one represented, and for allowing me to have the money to pay those bills!  Checking my checks can be a good checkup for me!

And then there are so many other areas where we need to thank God.  Everything you and I have is a gift from God.  The best way to say thanks is to give – thanks is for giving!

Thanks – giving is not a day, but a lifestyle.  Have a great thanks – giving!

(From Extra Effort)