Gratitude

He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and compassionate.  – Psalm 111:4

WSomerset Maugham liked Maxim’s restaurant in Paris so much that he used that restaurant to stage one of the 20th century’s most popular novels, The Razor’s Edge. But it was not Maugham who first put Maxim’s on the map. It was Franz Lehar, a struggling Hungarian musician who, with his bride, ate at a then obscure restaurant in Paris known as Cafe Maxim. When it was time for him to pay the bill, he reached in his pocket and felt nothing. He had been the victim of a pick pocket, and not only was his wallet missing but also his return train tickets back home to Vienna.

The manager believed Lehar and dismissed the bill. “Sir,” said Lehar, “you will never regret this generosity of yours. I promise to make you and your restaurant famous. My ambition is to write an opera and I shall put your restaurant in it.”

To the manager’s surprise, some five years later, “The Merry Widow” premiered at the Theater an deer Wien in Vienna, and Cafe Maxim was front and center as eligible bachelors courted the rich merry widow. For a century now, people, having heard about Cafe Maxim, have sought out the restaurant, bringing well more than a thousandfold return from the promise made by a distraught crime victim long ago.

Franz Lehar was grateful that he was allowed to leave the restaurant without payment instead of going to a Paris jail for the night. He was indebted to the manager who trusted him.

Gratitude involves specifics and individuals. It’s not a “have-a-nice-one” sort of nebulous attitude. When you thank God for His blessings, let Him know for what you are thankful.

Used with permission from Guidelines Philippines, Inc. To learn more about Guidelines and the ministry, please write to Box 4000, 1280 Makati City, Philippines or e-mail address box4000@guidelines.org. You may also visit our website at www.guidelines.org.