William Shakespeare has King Lear say: “Sharper than a serpent’s tooth is a thankless child.” Maybe you feel Lear’s sentiment. Mom labors hours over a hot stove, and dad rises thrice during the meal to refill cups, clean up plates, and serve desserts, but not a peep of gratitude reaches their ears. “Sharper than a serpent’s tooth is a thankless child.” The bite hurts when those for whom we do so much appreciate it so little.
Scottish Presbyterian Pastor, David Dickson (c. 1640): “There is no duty to which we are more dull or at which we are more awkward than the praise of God and thanksgiving unto Him; neither is there any duty for which we are in more need of being stirred up.” (Quoted in Spurgeon’s Commentary on the Psalms, in loc).