My Bible reading this week had me in Luke 17 - wherein is the story of the 10 lepers. As you'll recall, they were all healed, but only one of them came back and gave thanks.
As I woke up this Thanksgiving morning feeling grumpy & disgruntled, I needed to hear this story again. Thankfulness isn't automatic for me, cranky and graceless human being that I am.
So, I came up with a prayer exercise inspired by the leper who came back to give thanks. I wanted to share it in case it's helpful to anyone else. Here it is:
- take the time to look over the past year and remember - as many instances as you can - all the times you begged the Lord for something. All the requests, all the petitions, all the 5-second "help me!" prayers you sent up to heaven.
- then take the time to thank Him for all His answers. The ones you understand, the ones you don't. But look at all the times He had mercy on you, all the times He healed you, all the times He provided for you, all the times He sustained you. That you are here, a year later, means that He upheld you, for in Him we live and move and have our being.
Yes, the lesson of the leper is a simple lesson: Go back and give thanks.
But I'm reminded that I shouldn't despise this simple lesson because of its simplicity. I should be grateful it is easy to understand, and in that understanding, I should follow it.
I should take the time to go back and give thanks.
Grateful for all of you,
Jessica Snell
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