I believe that each of us enjoys getting a thank you note or a letter of appreciation for something we’ve done or the kind of person we are. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that. I thoroughly appreciate most of the personal E-mail I get from folks who’ve visited either of my pages.

On the other hand, each of us comes across circumstances and people in our day to day lives that aggravate the fool out of us (my wife tells me that I still have plenty of fool left). Have you ever given in to that urge to grab a piece of paper and fire off an angry missile to some company about one of their employees?

A few weeks ago, our grandson Ben and I went on a day trip to Ocala. We went to visit the Big Daddy Garlits Drag Racing Museum. After we’d finished at the museum, we went through the national forest and looked at some lovely springs. Later, we were hungry. We went through the drive-thru lane at a well-known fast food eatery.

An hour or so after we’d left with our food, headed for home, Ben noticed that the receipt had an item printed on it. It said, “drive thru tax”. Well, the more I thought about it, the more it really bugged me. Now they were taxing us for the privilege of coming through the drive thru? Nonsense. When I got home, I turned the computer on and sent a somewhat heated letter to the parent corporation. A couple of weeks later, I got a letter back. They’d contacted the actual restaurant and discovered that even though the words “drive thru tax” were on the same line and very evenly spaced, the tax was the state/county tax on the food. The words “drive thru” merely let the accounting department know that the sale was made at the drive thru. I felt a little foolish and sent a short note back letting them know that I understood and appreciated their explanation.

I’m a rather firm believer that we should let businesses know when their employees behave in a way that makes us not want to return to their store. I also let stores and manufacturers know when their merchandise is shoddy and doesn’t hold up. I recently bought a couple of pairs of blue jeans. About half way through the wear cycle, the right front pocket in BOTH pairs have developed holes through which change falls out. That rated a letter AND a phone call.

I’m also a firm believer that we should let people and businesses know when they’ve pleased us and done a good job. In fact, I write far more letters of this nature than complaints. Why? Because, as stated in the opening paragraph, everyone enjoys being praised or thanked for a job well done, for an exceptional attitude.

For example, after a two day hospital stay in January, I wrote the nurses who served at the station where I was treated. After encountering a really fine salesman at a local electronic store, I wrote the district office and told them what a fine man they had at that store. I could give you many more examples of the “thank you” letters I send out. In an average month, as many as a dozen appreciation letters leave our home.

What kind of response do I get? Pretty neat. The next time I went into the electronic store, the man came over and thanked me for taking the time to contact the company and boost his career. I’ve made a friend.

Are there any dangers of overdoing this approach? Yes. There’s a vast difference between a sincere “thank you” or “note of appreciation” and flattery. The Bible is full of encouragement for us to be thankful people. We are, in fact, to live our lives in an atmosphere of thanksgiving. There are many references to expressing thanks to others and to the Lord.

The Bible refers to flattery as vain and corrupting. The dictionary defines flattery as “excessive or insincere praise”. Flattery is often political in nature. People butter others up in order to selfishly get something from them or obtain an advantage over them.

In Daniel 11:32, we read, “With flattery he (satan) will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.”

In Romans 16:17, 18 we read,

“I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people.” In this passage, Paul warns the early church to watch out for trouble makers within their ranks. These people deceived the naive babes with “smooth talk and flattery”.

Paul wrote, “You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed – God is our witness.” (1 Thessalonians 2:5)

What Are The Life Lessons
I’ve Picked Up Through This Practice?

• It’s a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord!
• It’s also a good thing to express appreciation to those who make our life experiences more pleasant and enjoyable.
• An excellent way to express our appreciation is by writing or calling those who are in management and make decisions about the future of their employees.
• If we express ourselves when things go wrong and we’re unhappy, how much more should we go out of our way to express appreciation when things go right.
• It takes time to follow through and make that phone call or write that letter.
• It’s well worth our time to practice thanksgiving on any given day, not just once in November!

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