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Tuesday November 22, 2016

 

Several years ago a friend of mine who does not attend church called me and said, “Bobby, I need to confess something to you”. By the tone of his voice, I could tell that he was extremely upset. He continued, “I was just about to exit the bank when I noticed two men entering the bank. I swung the door open and held it for them as a courtesy. Both men entered and walked right by me as though I were their butler; they did not even have the courtesy to say thanks. I was so upset by this that I turned around and in a loud and violent manner told them….”. At this point, I find it necessary to edit the story because I simply cannot share the incredible amount of profanity and threats that came from my friend’s mouth. He concluded by telling me how arrogant and how disrespectful they were and how the least they could have done was to say thanks.

 

Luke 17:17-18 NIV

Jesus asked, “Were there not ten men who were healed? Where are the other nine? Is this stranger from another country the only one who turned back to give thanks to God?”

 

As we study the Gospels, we can see that Jesus had this miraculous ability to discern what people were thinking. When Jesus asked a question, it was for the benefit of the person being asked the question and not his own. In the passage we just read, we can see that ten men begged Jesus to heal them. Instead of instantly healing them, Jesus told them to present themselves before the priests and as they went on their way, they were cleansed of their leprosy. One of the ten men who happened to be a Samaritan, returned to give thanks upon seeing that he had been healed. The other nine did not bother to return to express their gratitude. Jesus then asked the people gathered, “Were there not ten men who were healed?” Where are the other nine? He knew the answer to that question; after all, He was the one who sent them to the priests. He then asked the following question: Is this stranger from another country the only one who turned back to give thanks to God? It is obvious that Jesus knew the answer to the question. Jesus wanted the crowd to understand that from the perspective of God, feeling grateful is not enough; we also need to express our appreciation.

 

Unexpressed gratitude communicates ingratitude.

 

I am certain that all of us have people in our lives to whom we are grateful. However, the problem is that we rarely communicate our appreciation. Unexpressed gratitude, irrespective of how you feel on the inside, communicates the opposite of gratefulness. Instead, it expresses ingratitude, rudeness, disrespect, and insolence, regardless of how grateful you might feel on the inside. Therefore, make it a point to return and express your appreciation to all those people to whom you are grateful. Remember, a grateful person is one who is willing to return and express their gratitude to those who have helped them to move forwards.