This type of affirmation reminds me of filler music a band coughs up when they run out of good ones on an album. The band will have three, maybe four really good songs (if they’re lucky), a few mediocre ones, and the rest are little more than placeholders.
This affirmation is like one of those placeholder songs, not great, not helpful, not even average. It’s just… useless.
I get the point of the affirmation, but: Who (or what) are you directing your gratitude towards when you pay your bills? Are you expressing your gratitude at the recipients of your payments, or is it just some sort of generic attitude of gratitude?
When the power company auto-drafts your monthly light bill from your checking account, who are you thanking? Do you thank the power company for leaving your lights on? Or just generically thankful that you have lights at all?
When you see how inflation is rewarding you with less food for more money, and you’re standing at the checkout counter ready to fork over your debit card, is it the cashier with the purple hair and nose ring that gets your expressions of appreciation? Or is it the food gods?
And of course, we can’t forget taxes. When your tax return reveals you owe the IRS (or whatever your national tax revenue collection service is) a big chunk of your hard-earned $$$, do you slip in a “Thank you that my tax dollars are going to great causes” note?
I didn’t think so.
We already have a command to be thankful in everything, including when we pay our expenses:
In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Paul’s instructions to the church at Thessalonica – 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Yes, give thanks in everything, even when you are paying your bills, but gratitude ought to be directed to the God who gives us graciously all things that we need and many of our wants.