Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Thank you

Do you know what it means? We say it all the time.

I lived in Venezuela for two years and became fluent in Spanish. One of the great blessings of learning another language is that it enhances your understanding of...life. Scriptures have new meaning when you read them in a different language. (whether it's English, Spanish...or by the Spirit)

Thank you comes directly from the German word, danke; or dank u in Dutch. But knowing the phrase "thank you" in Spanish brings a much deeper understanding.

We all know thank you in Spanish is gracias. But have you ever thought of its meaning?

Gracia come from the Latin word gratus. Do you know the English word that is derived from gratus?

Grace.

Although not commonly used, grace and thank you really are interchangeable in the English language. i.e.: "saying grace" means to give a prayer of thanks. The most common form of gracia is the plural form gracias, meaning thank you if you take the casual translation. But a more direct translation exudes an entirely different meaning. Just like the word adios. While the casual translation is goodbye, the direct translation is to God.

Other words that are derived from the same Latin root of gratus are: agree, congratulate, gratitude, and gratis.

Grace. I love the Thanksgiving season a little more now. Saying thank you is just a small way to share a little grace with someone...just one more way we can be like Jesus and be an example of His life. For He is the One that showed forth Amazing Grace. How sweet the sound.

Thank you. Thank you.

4 comments:

Elaine said...

OH that was so beautiful! Thank YOU for increasing my understanding of gratitude. Language is a wonderful thing.

Laurel said...

yes, Thank YOU.
xoxo

tall dad said...

What a great post for this wonderful season. I will use it Sunday in my lesson. Thank you.

Elaine said...

You comments made a wonderful springboard for a lengthy conversation at the Thanksgiving dinner table. Thank you again!