A pair of pears.
Please let me explain. My wife, Jo Ann, works in human resources and payroll with the local plant of a large corporation. She puts her heart and soul - not to mention a considerable amount of time - into trying to help her fellow employees.
Usually, those efforts go unnoticed. In the cases of many of the people whom she helps, Jo Ann will not hear from them again unless they have another problem or complaint. Thank yous are rare but much appreciated.
Her plant has a diverse workforce, so sometimes, she must overcome a language barrier to try to figure out how to help someone telling her about a problem in Spanish or Chinese.
That's where the pears come in. While she was walking through the factory a month or so ago, a Chinese worker who has very limited English-speaking skills gave Jo Ann a pear. Jo Ann politely told the woman to have the fruit for herself, but the woman wanted to express gratitude for help Jo Ann had given her. The same scene played out two weeks later. Both instances brightened Jo Ann's day.
This prompted the thought that God blesses us countless times every day, but how many times do we think to give Him thanks?
We don't have to go on a pilgrimage to show our gratefulness. We could do a simple kindness for someone else out of gratitude to God.
God does not need our appreciation; He loves us. However, we can show how much we love and thank Him by serving others.
Besides, after listening to complaints from so many people, God would appreciate a thank you.
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God gives us love;
how could we not give Him thanks?
(Kozlowski has just published his second book, "God's People: They Walk by Faith." It features over 100 stories of people of all ages and from many walks of life, and the inspiration and faith their lives provide.)