Gratitude Makes God Real Every Day

Mahalo. Gracias. Danke. Grazie. Merci. Thank you. There are so many ways to say thank you, and even more ways to show gratitude. Gratitude is a big part of what we do to show others we care. But how often do we show gratitude to God, the One who gave us so many awe-inspiring and wonderful things? In the story found in Luke 17: 11-19, we find ten men with leprosy searching out Jesus as he walks the road to Jerusalem. They are hoping that Jesus will have mercy upon them and heal them so they may continue home to their loved ones and neighbors. And, probably to their amazement, Jesus heals them and sends them to be declared clean. This was more than just a plea for healing. The disease they had wasn’t just a physical ailment, it took them away from their families, friends, jobs, and essentially their lives. Then one of the men returned and “praising God in a loud voice. ¹⁶ He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him.”

This man had just gotten his life back. Of course he would go back and thank Jesus some might say, “It’s the least he can do, I would do the same thing.” But only one of ten came back, and he was the Samaritan, the non-neighbor. Nine out of ten went on their way. Maybe one was late for a meeting. Maybe another just had to get to the bakery before it closed to pick up the cake for dinner. Maybe one was just so tired he just needed to go lie down. We don’t know. What we do know is that they didn’t show the same gratitude that the Samaritan did.

Where do fit in this story? Sure it’s easy to say, of course I would thank God. But do we show gratitude often and joyfully enough? Yesterday I had the tread of a tire come off while driving down I-40 in a construction zone. Thankfully a construction worker stopped, looked at the problem, told me about a tire shop at the next exit and then followed me to make sure I got there safe, you can bet I was praying to God I would make it through. And when I did, I gave a long prayer of thanks as I drove the rest of the way home. But what about the not-so-life-threatening moments, do we stop and show gratitude in the every day? The little God moments that happen every day are just as important to God. Each and every day is a day of gratitude, so let’s sing His praises.