#attitudeofgratitude by: Deborah Ard
“Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, ‘Jesus, Master, have pity on us!’ When he was them, he said, ‘Go show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 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? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner? ‘The he said to him, ‘Rise and go; your faith has made you well.’”

This scripture has always intrigued me. I have often pondered why only one leper came back to thank Jesus. Weren’t the others thankful? Why didn’t they show their gratitude? Let’s think about this together. First of all leprosy was such a terrible disease. When someone contracted leprosy they were cast away as an outsider. We do not know any other background information on these men. Who were they before leprosy stole their identity? What was their background? Were they married or have children? How long had they been held prisoner by this disease? So many factors occurred before bringing them to this point of healing by Jesus. Was this their first knowledge of Jesus? Imagine being an outcast cut off from your family and community. Imagine the pain, suffering and loneliness that they had endured. Now imagine their moment of healing. Imagine all the thoughts that they may have experienced. Perhaps they were so overjoyed that they ran off to find their friends and family. Perhaps they were so relieved to be able to leave this area that had caused them so much suffering. Whatever the reasons, they failed to thank the One who had given them the healing they had longed to receive.
Now let’s think about this story as we examine ourselves. God blesses us in so many ways every day. Not only do we have big things to be thankful for such as family, friends, jobs, health, etc. but we also have moment to moment blessings. We often overlook these blessings because we are so caught up in our busy schedule. However when we are not present and intentional about looking for blessings we zoom on through life without giving thanks to God just like the 9 lepers. I started this week with the definition of gratitude. Gratitude is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. The one leper showed his gratitude by coming back, throwing himself at Jesus’ feet and praising Jesus. Now ponder how you show gratitude to God? Are you readily showing appreciation and returning kindness in His name? Do you throw yourself at the feet of Jesus in gratitude for the healing you receive? Again I encourage you to take a few moments out of your busy schedule to write down 5 things you are thankful for every day, You could do this at the beginning of the day, during your lunch break, or in the evening to wrap up your day. Years ago I chose a small notebook to be my gratitude journal and wrote down my gratitudes at the end of the day as I would wind down. Now that I have children and a much busier schedule I write down my 5 gratitudes in the morning at the end of my devotion time. The time of day you choose to write them down is not important. Just write them down on a piece of paper or in the notes on your phone. However I must warn you! Creating the habit of this daily practice will change your perspective and your attitude. Before you know it people may accuse you of having an “attitude of gratitude.” Colossians 3:17 reminds us: “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Now let’s go with open eyes to the blessings of this day and give thanks!