Greetings can tell you a lot about a person. A friend of mine always answers, “How are you?” with “Grateful.” And another always answers with: “Better than most folks.”

Both of these people live and share their gratitude daily.

I was thinking about gratitude and was surprised the word grateful isn’t found very often in the Bible. The Message and Amplified versions use the word more regularly, but the closest word in the King James Bible is exceedingly glad. To be grateful means to be warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received.

It’s a more meaningful way of saying you’re thankful.

When Jesus healed the ten lepers, He was surprised at the nine who didn’t seem grateful. But “one of them, when he realized he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus’ feet, so grateful. He couldn’t thank Him enough…” (Luke 17:14-16, MSG). I can relate to this one more than the nine.

Another man who shared his gratitude often was the Apostle Paul. In his letter to Timothy, he said, “I’m so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work. He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry” (1 Timothy 1:12, MSG). Paul knew how much God had forgiven him and he was unashamed to tell others.

I want to live this way too. So it’s surprised me that more people aren’t grateful (or don’t show it more). Or maybe their gratitude is just misplaced.

This was Jonah’s issue.

Without going into the whole story, here’s the brief version: Jonah was summoned by God to go to Ninevah and prophesy against it as a warning. But Jonah doesn’t want to. So as the story goes, in his flight to run from God’s command, Jonah is swallowed by a fish and spends three days in its belly.

When Jonah finally repents and goes to Ninevah, he does what God asked of him but still wasn”t thrilled about it. Amazingly, the people of Ninevah (including the king) repent of their wickedness and turn their hearts to God. But Jonah was mad that he prophesied calamity and “God relented from the disaster that He said He would bring upon them…” (Jonah 3:10).

In other words, God showed them mercy.

Watching and waiting on a hill above the city, Jonah made himself a small shelter. The next morning, God caused a plant to grow exceedingly fast to give Jonah extra shade. In this, “Jonah was very grateful for the plant” (Jonah 4:6).

The next morning, God caused a worm to destroy the plant. When the sun rose and scorched the rest of the dying plant, Jonah became very angry about it and God nailed his heart with this question: “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant? You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Ninevah, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left?” (Jonah 4:9-11).

Sadly, this could be any one of us.

We’re grateful for the things that benefit us (and we should be). But when our gratitude is one-sided, there’s a problem. In other words, the same mercy we’ve received (and are grateful for) should be the same mercy we long for others to find and know.

Remove the double standard.

The Book of Jonah ends with God’s question. We don’t know if Jonah got his heart right, but his story is a mirror of our own heart– and a reminder that we have a choice.

Jonah said, “I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in faithful love, and One who relents from sending disaster” (Jonah 4:2). Our wonderful God and Savior is the same yesterday, today, and always. 

Jesus said, “You have heard it that it was said, Love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:43-45). Until our heart loves the lost like God does, we need to guard our heart (and our mouth).

How grateful are you that God saved you, despite your plethora of sin? I’ll be the first to raise my hand! I’m so grateful. No matter how many years pass, I endeavor to keep a grateful heart, never forgetting the love and mercy of God that pulled me from a deep pit. 

And that’s the point of the story of Jonah: Never write anyone off. Cling tight to gratitude. And trust God’s mercy for every person.