Editorial November 21, 1977 Issue

Giving Thanks Free of Hypocrisy

Nathan A. Talbot

The more we understand God, the less opportunity there is for any hypocrisy to creep into our lives. If we are in the habit of thanking God but doing so without really understanding who He is, we have an important step yet to take.

To be entirely free of hypocrisy, our thanks to God must include gratitude for who He is. Otherwise our thanks may be largely empty. Such thanks may come close to patting ourselves on the back — especially if our emphasis is on thanking God for what we have accomplished. It is comparatively easy to take the time to thank God for our blessings. It is more demanding to take the time to learn enough about God so that we know whom we are thanking. Mrs. Eddy explains, "If we are ungrateful for Life, Truth, and Love, and yet return thanks to God for all blessings, we are insincere and incur the sharp censure our Master pronounces on hypocrites." ^{Science and Health, p. 3;}

Christian Science brings to light the nature of God, enabling us to give fuller meaning and significance to our offering of thanks. An understanding gratitude for Life, Truth, and Love leads us from the repeating of words to the expression of action. "Gratitude is much more than a verbal expression of thanks," writes Mrs. Eddy. She continues, "Action expresses more gratitude than speech." ^ibid.;

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