Please, thank you and you are welcome.

     Growing up I was instructed to use these 3 words or phrases liberally.  Please, thank you and you are welcome were and are words and phrases that command respect.  The prevalence of children and adults who don't use these simple words and phrases is growing.  When prompted to utter one of these choices their speaking the words are hollow and often meaningless.  Why is that?  What has happened that we no longer have the respect enough to say please, thank you and you are welcome?  Recently I suggested someone tell another person thanks for something done for them.  Their response was, "They know I am thankful."  How do they know?  If we don't utter the words then what is it the receiver "knows"?  Besides the words, there is the body language accompanying the words that speaks volumes of what we really think.  Uttering assumptions like the one just stated is disrespectful and fake. 
     This reminds me of an old Swedish story of an old married couple.  The wife had come to the pastor of their church and said she was going to divorce her husband after their 30 plus years of marriage.  The pastor asked her why and she said that he no longer told her that he loved her.  So, the pastor went to visit the husband and asked him about his wife's accusing him of not telling her that he loved her.  The husband told the pastor that he did love his wife.  The pastor asked him why he didn't tell her that he loved her.  The husband replied, "I told her I loved her when I married her.  If anything changes I'll let her know."  While we may chuckle at the story the message is important to take to heart.  We have needs and we have wants as I am sure you will agree.  One of those needs is to hear the affirmation that we love and are loved by each other.  There isn't much difference with please, thank you, and you are welcome.
     In saying all of this I am simply saying that we need to be careful to not take advantage of others whom we think should understand what is not said as having been said.  The first commandment with a promise says that we should honor our father and mother.  The promise follows and says that if we do so we will live long and prosper.  I think God has a good idea here.  We should not only show respect but we should understand the positive and negative consequences of our choices regarding what we do and do not say.  The phrase, "I raised you better than that?" echoes through my mind having heard it said so often from parent to child in the crowds of people I have interacted with.  God is saying the same thing to us.  He raised us better than we are acting.  When we don't do what is right, (James 4:17 tells us) we sin.  Plain and simple.  If we know the good we are to be doing and saying and we don't do it or say it, we sin.  Sin, has it's consequences.  One of which is the demise of our credibility.
     When my children were young I would have to intervene when they fought or tormented each other.  I would tell the offender that they needed to say they were sorry.  They would respond with a sarcastic "Sorry!".  I would tell the offended child to say they forgave their sibling.  They would respond with a clipped, "Forgive you."  Neither child really meant what they were saying.  This is all part of the "raise a child in the way they should go and when they are old the will not depart from it." teaching of the Bible.  We are to raise children who are respectful, honoring and who will have a long and productive life.  I don't know anywhere in the world where respect and honor were garnered when someone failed to say please, thank you, and you are welcome.  I have found the opposite to be true.  This envelopes our spiritual life as well as our earthly life.
     Please understand the importance of the word God has spoken to each of us.  Thank you for reading my thoughts on the subject.  You are welcome to share this with everyone you know.  It's that easy.  Jesus said, "Go now and be my disciples."  That's up to you.