The Great Thanksgiving Test

The Ten Lepers

Are you a good judge of people's character? Do you know their true personalities? Can you discern what hides in another person's heart? Do you know whom you can trust?

Quite honestly, discerning another person's true character is complicated and uncertain. We often get it wrong. We think we know people, so we affirm and trust them and then are often disappointed – even disillusioned. "Better to have loved and lost than not to have loved at all," we say, trying to recover from the hurt in our hearts – and maybe our wallets. So, how can we discern real character better? Can we look into hearts and measure true motives? What is a good clue to the real personalities, the true quality of the moral fiber of others?

The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes

Time for the personal hint of the day: A person who gives sincere thanks is more trustworthy than someone who does not. The "attitude of gratitude" is a great sign that someone's "heart is in the right place" and is committed to the good, is oriented to what is right. A person who does not openly acknowledge the good that you or others do – or that God does – is working from a futile mind and a foolish heart, as the Apostle Paul honestly observed about 2,000 years ago, as he began his letter to fellow believers in Rome. Giving thanks to God and speaking well of him are two behaviors that help people hold on to the good life. That was Paul's understanding.

How does giving thanks make such a difference? Looking into people's hearts is a deep subject, but let me make two observations that will help show how that people's "gratitude attitude" matters in our personal assessment of them. Read more

Read also:
Let Us Give Thanks!
Teaching Us to Give Thanks in All Circumstances
Giving Thanks for Thanksgiving
A Thanksgiving prayer
What happened to Thanksgiving?