Stop to Give Thanks

On a recent trip, I noticed that instead of being thankful, I was complaining. The bed was hard (but it was clean); the air conditioner was loud (but it worked well); the hotel breakfast was skimpy (but someone prepared it for me). I asked God to forgive my ungrateful attitude and recalled the many times Jesus gave thanks. He thanked God for the five loaves and two fish before they were multiplied. He thanked God for hearing his prayers before Lazarus was raised from the dead. Even on the night he was betrayed, Jesus gave thanks. As I asked for forgiveness, God showed me that gratitude was not what God was asking me to feel, rather giving thanks was what God wanted me to do.

The Samaritan man in today’s verse was one of ten people who came to Jesus to be healed of leprosy. All of them looked to God for help. All of them prayed. All of them obeyed Jesus’ instructions, and all were joyful when they were healed. But only the Samaritan stopped and returned to give thanks.

To learn gratitude, we don’t need to work up a grateful feeling. Rather, we simply need to stop complaining, return to Jesus, and give him thanks!