Thanksgiving Starts With “Thank You”!
Happy Thanksgiving to all my wonderful social media friends and family. THANK YOU for your encouragement to me and being a bright light that brightens our world with God’s love.
All over our country, turkeys are in the oven or will soon get there while all the other delicacies are readied for their family’s celebration of this wonderful holiday. My family just shared in sweet times in new ways over the last couple of days. We went to Larry & Staci’s Epiphany Ranch at Rusk,TX. Stories about that will come later. Then we had wonderful times at the Kiepersol Vineyards in Tyler, TX (pictured here). THANK YOU, God, for my family!
As a child, did you get a tap on your shoulder by a parent when you received a gift, and you heard them whisper “Say, thank you!” Were you one of those parents that had to remind your children to say, “Thank you”? Oh, but what pride and joy our parents had when they heard us and we heard our children, out of grateful hearts say, “THANK YOU!”….and meant it! I challenge you to think of two more beautiful words.
It’s easy for all of us to breeze through life without stopping to say, “Thank you.” Whether we’re facing a clerk at the store, a restaurant employee or family member, we can move on quickly instead of pausing to give thanks and show appreciation.
Apparently, people moved along quickly during Jesus’ time on earth, too. He was on His way to Jerusalem when ten men, with leprosy, stood far away from Him but called out to Him for mercy. He told them to go and show themselves to the priests. The priest was the one who could issue a life-giving letter of release that indicated they were disease-free and could return to their homes and public life. As they obeyed Jesus’ orders to go, they were healed of their leprosy. Imagine their joy as they saw their skin repair itself and look like new again — impossible apart from God’s power!
But only one of the 10 returned and thanked Jesus: “when he saw he was healed, he came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him — and he was a Samaritan” (Luke 17:15-16). Jesus completely and wonderfully changed 10 lives, but only one came back to say, “thank you”.The nine Jewish men didn’t return to acknowledge the Giver. The most unlikely to return — the Samaritan who knew the least about God — was the one to receive not only a physical healing, but a spiritual one. Jesus said to him in verse 19, “Rise and go; your faith has made you whole.” The power of God cleansed him outwardly in his body AND cleansed him inwardly from sin when he returned to give thanks. Gratitude paved the way for a double blessing: healing for body and soul.
Gratitude also paves the way to blessing in our bodies and souls. As we celebrate this National Day of Thanksgiving, may we learn from those 10 men. May we purposely pause, look that one in the eyes who served us, gave us of themselves in some way or blessed us with something — and say, “THANK YOU!”
Most of all may we ask God for forgiveness for not saying “Thank You.” May we repent of focusing on the things we don’t have, instead of the blessings He has given us. May we be like the one who returned to express gratitude. Thank you, Father God, for saving us, forgiving us, and providing for our needs each day! Thank YOU, Lord, for your goodness and mercy that follows us all the days of our lives. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!