Did you know that there are over 50 ways to say “Thank you!”
Seriously – you can actually google it. They include: I’m so grateful. I appreciate it. Thanks for your hard work on this. I couldn’t have done it without you. I owe you one. Much obliged. Thanks for having my back. I can’t thank you enough. Cheers. That’s so kind of you. Much appreciated. Many Thanks. The list goes on and on.
As a child, I remember my parents prompting me to say thank you when receiving a gift from someone. As a parent, I also remember teaching that same concept to my children.
In the fast-paced, social media driven world we live in, the art of being thankful has been reduced to a quick text of “thanks” or a passing “thanks” to someone in person.
Several months ago, I attended a birthday celebration for my great-nephew. As any good great-aunt, I gave him a card with a $5 bill. (Hey – I said I was a good great-aunt, not a great one). A few weeks later, I received a really sweet thank you card from him in the mail. Now I know that as a 10-year-old boy, writing thank you cards was not the first thing on his mind when he woke up. But he has a mother who really wants to teach him the importance of being thankful. He not only addressed the card by himself, but he also added a note to the inside of the card expressing his thankfulness.
Most of us can appreciate those times when we’ve received a special “Thank you” from someone. However, just as many of us have also experienced times when a kindness has been overlooked and not acknowledged.
In the Book of Luke, chapter 17, verses 11-19 we find one such occurrence when Jesus healed 10 men of leprosy.
We aren’t given any back-story for these 10 men, but in Biblical times, if a person was diagnosed with leprosy, they would be immediately isolated.
In Leviticus 13, God had given the Israelites very specific instructions on how to deal with leprosy and other skin infections. Anyone suspected of having this disease had to go to a priest for examination. If found to be infected, “the leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip (the Biblical equivalent to face masks) and cry out, ‘Unclean, unclean.’ He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease.
At that time in history, leprosy was thought to be incurable. Those with leprosy were so despised and loathed that they were not allowed to live in any community with their own people. A leper wasn’t allowed to come within six feet of any other human (early social distancing), including his own family. The disease was considered so contagious that the leper wasn’t permitted to come within 150 feet of anyone when the wind was blowing.
Given this information, one can only imagine that these men had been separated from their family and friends for quite some time. They were not allowed in shops or the village squares. Their only company was one another. They would not have believed that a healing would be possible. But God.
They had heard the name of Jesus. They had heard of the miracles he has performed. If there was ever a hope for a healing, it would be from Jesus.
12 As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13 and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
Jesus saw 10 men whose lives had been discarded and his heart was moved with compassion for them.
(verse 14) When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
Immediately, the men went on their way. I imagine they were not only excited to be healed, but also to see their families. To reconnect with their friends, to get their lives back. to celebrate. In their excitement, they hurried off to do as Jesus commanded. All except one.
(verses 15-19) One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16 He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well."
The one who returned – who took time out to be thankful, didn’t receive any more of a physical healing than the others, but I believe he received a spiritual healing that the others did not.
He recognized where his healing came from. He praised God in a loud voice. He humbled himself at Jesus’ feet. He Thanked him. He took the time to show true gratitude for this life changing thing that God did for him.
Fast forward to today. This week, this month. What good thing has God brought into your life? We pray for miracles. We ask for God’s direction. We pray for jobs, healings, raises, new homes, cars, our children, our parents, …. It’s a long list. Yet, when God comes through for us, we rush off to share out good news with our families and friends. We get together for a special dinner to celebrate our good fortune. In short, we are often like those nine lepers – rushing off to live our lives.
True gratitude takes time. It took my nephew time to write out a card. It takes time for a phone call. It takes time to set up a coffee date or buy someone a thank you dinner.
It takes time to sit in God’s presence and be truly thankful for his amazing grace.
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