Granite and Gratitude (Friday Devotional)

We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. 

- 1 Thessalonians 1:2-3

I was at an embarrassingly advanced age when I learned that a phrase I’d been using for years was actually a malapropism on my part—I was getting the real expression all wrong.

“I took it for granite,” I said to a friend.

She looked puzzled. “You did what?”

“I took it for granite.”

“You mean you took it for granted?”

I pushed back. “No, no, for granite. You know, I thought it was rock solid, like it would never go away. I took it for granite.”

She was right about the expression, of course. But my confusion aside, there are certainly things—and people—in our lives that we take for granite. I’m talking about the systems that have been operating so efficiently for so long that we assume they run on automatic. I’m talking about the chores around the house that you’ve never had to worry about because your spouse takes care of them. I’m talking about the humble leaders who arrive early and stay late, who do the menial jobs others won’t, who refuse to let something important fall through the cracks on their watch.

When a kind gesture or a gracious act of service is done repeatedly and with no expectation of reward, it’s easy to begin feeling entitled to it, to think that this is just the way things are supposed to be, to turn someone else’s sacrifice into your expectation. It’s easy, you might say, to take it for granite.

So what a helpful reminder the apostle Paul gives us in the epistles which make up much of the New Testament. In letter after letter, he begins with an expression of thanks—thanks to God, thanks to his coworkers in ministry, and thanks to the church who is receiving the letter. Far from considering himself a self-made man, Paul is quick to think of those who have supported him in his ministry, to regard them as indispensable to his work. He seemingly cannot thank others fast enough.

There is a lesson in that for us if we’ll hear it. Think about someone in your life—in your home, your neighborhood, your workplace, your church—whose faithful work you may overlook. They could be anyone from a custodian to a corporate officer, but someone who makes sacrifices without expecting a spotlight. This weekend, take a moment to sincerely, earnestly thank them—not because they need your appreciation, but because they’ve earned it.

Gratitude doesn’t cost a dime of your money or an hour of your time, just a humility of spirit and an ounce of thoughtfulness. So don’t take people for granite—give them gratitude instead.