Gratitude - A Key to Wholeness

And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole Luke 17:11-19.

Gratitude is not just a nice addition to a generally good character or an indispensable Christian character but importantly, a key to wholeness as we see in the above text. Let’s take the lessons;

First, the leper realized that he had received a gift – the gift of healing, one that could have only come from God (James 1:17). 

Second, he realized that it was Christ's merciful gift (John3:27b) – not an obligatory one. God is our Father but he reserves the unquestionable right to do unto us according to His good pleasure. Our confidence is that He loves us and His thoughts towards us are of peace and not of evil, to give us an expected end (Jer 29:11).

Third, this remarkable leper put God first in his rejoicing. While the others continued towards the priest, being the grateful man he was, this cleansed leper returned to pour out heartfelt thanks to Jesus – by faith. He could have reasoned that he might loose his healing if the priest decided to do a “first-come-first-serve”. He could even have made a mental note of returning later to give thanks but he won’t give room for procrastination. And Jesus wasn’t going to stand and wait there for him to return either because God is constantly on the move.

Fourth, when he turned back, he glorified God with a loud voice – publicly. He fell down on his face at Jesus’ feet and worshipped, and gave thanks. More importantly, his thanksgiving was commensurate with the magnitude of his blessings. Jesus had healed him of a dreadful, terminal disease that made his body loathsome not only to others but even to himself. His life was radically improved, so he responded with a radical gratitude at the feet of Jesus. Perhaps he even kissed Jesus' feet, as did the thankful prostitute when He forgave her (Lk 7:45). Many new Christians today seem awkward, even disruptive, when they express their thanks to God. We may look at them sometimes and wonder if they’re high on something. Truth is, their enthusiasm is genuine and in accordance with the magnitude of transformation they’ve received from God. It’s about time we drop the self-elevating "gratitude" of the Pharisee who thanked God that he was not a sinner like the tax collector, and thank God with the originality of the grateful leper.

Fifth, this man’s gratitude was genuine, not fake. And Jesus said to him, “Arise and go thy way: Thy faith hath made thee whole”. When I first read the story, I thought, ‘Weren't all ten made whole?’ But No! The nine were no longer leprous yes, but they were still sick at heart. Only one was made whole – the grateful one, because of his faith.  This grateful leper experienced not only outward cleansing but also inward healing.

Gratitude helps make us whole. It is in part a display of humility, dependence, and appreciation for God's (and others') goodness toward us that fills us with joy.

If this story is indicative of human nature, then we probably miss about nine out of ten opportunities to be grateful. Yet, being a grateful person isn’t so difficult. It begins with showing appreciation for the least of those favours or acts of kindness we misjudge as unimportant. Be grateful for little things. If you are grateful in small things, even in small ways, you will naturally be grateful in great things.

Have you thanked others lately for the small ways they impact your life? Gratitude is and should remain our unsolicited response to acts of kindness. Get rid of pride, think of something recent your parents, your spouse, your boss, your team mates, your subordinates, or even the lowest of your company or domestic staff has done for you and show genuine appreciation. 

It’s logical that if we’re grateful to men, we will be grateful to God. Jesus was a thankful person himself. He expects this of us, no matter who we are, no matter our circumstances, no matter our ‘standing in the society’.

Have you thanked Christ, lately for His specific provisions? For the gift of life and for the free gift of salvation? When last did you say Thank You for that Admission? For that Degree? For the power to make wealth? For your spouse? For your marriage? For those children? For that beautiful house? For that Job? Perhaps for your Joblessness? For that major project? For that promotion? For that additional car? For that business? And even for the many unpleasant situations that we face every now and then?

We may not be where we want to be at the moment, things may also not be going the way we want them to but God deserves our praise for the many other blessings He has bestowed upon us. Give fresh gratitude to God and find wholeness!