“Wholeness: An Attitude of Gratitude”

Have you ever given a gift with a glad heart only to experienced hurt or disappointment over not receiving some expression of gratitude? Most of us probably have. Our sense of fairness and human decency tells us it is wrong to take something without permission, without asking, and without saying “thank you.” 

 We are not alone in hoping for some expression of gratitude from others. In Luke 17:11-19, Jesus experiences disappointment when all but one of a group of ten fails to express gratitude after being healed of leprosy.

 Jesus healed ten lepers and upon returning to give thanks, one of them, a Samaritan outsider, was affirmed and told his faith had made him well. We see from this encounter that restorative faith that makes one truly whole is more than just belief and action; it involves having gratitude for undeserved mercy. We do not know what actually happened to those other nine, but I am pretty sure that the tenth leper found his life overflowing with joy and wholeness. And the fullness of his blessings came when he returned to thank Jesus and praised God.

 Please understand that God’s love for us does not depend on whether or not we give him thanks, but our attitude of gratitude does effect the fullness of our joy. It opens the doors of our heart to experience all that God has intended for us. It seems clear that in our busy world today we are less grateful because our lives are less thoughtful. Remember the words “thank” and “think” are both are spelled very much alike, reminding us that thanksgiving comes from thinking about our blessings.

 So I encourage you to give some thought this week to what has God has done for you and then do yourself a great favor and show him your attitude of gratitude. I hope we will all have that joyful experience of wholeness by expressing our gratitude to God this Thanksgiving.

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