Thanksgiving
I recently read through Luke 17:11-19. It’s about 10 lepers who are healed by Jesus, but only one returns to thank him. Since it is Thanksgiving, I thought I would reflect on this story.
So, nine of the former lepers take Jesus for granted and don’t go back to thank him. How often do we take things for granted? How often are we thankful for the little things in life…like elbows, a beating heart, and a working toilet?
Fred Craddock, a minister, said, “It is often the outsider, the stranger, the visitor who sees and appreciates and responds for countless gifts that we have come to take for granted. The visitor in my home talks with and enjoys the children I hardly noticed between coming home and reading the evening paper. The visitor thanks my wife for the meal I have eaten 1,000 times in silence. It is so often the stranger who notices and expresses appreciation for what familiarity has blinded us to. This is the truth that hurts. But it is also truth that can heal. He (Jesus) is not just someone who shows us up for the ingrates we are. He is one sent by God to give us new eyes and ears. And hearts.”
Anyway, I love Thanksgiving. It’s one of my favorite holidays. I love to be around my family at that time and have some good food. I’m really thankful for that. However, we shouldn’t restrict our thankfulness to Thanksgiving day. Don’t take things for granted in your life. Thank God and others for what they do for you. Thank God for your elbow and your beating heart, for providing food for you, and for sending Jesus to shed His blood for you. Thank your parents for taking care of you. Thank your friends for being there for you when you need them. We have so much to be thankful for from the moment we wake up to the moment we go to sleep.
Be thankful…always. If you want to do some further reading, check out Psalm 16, Psalm 103:2, James 1:17, and Philippians 4:10-13.
Happy Thanksgiving!