11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
Luke 17:11-19
The story of Jesus cleansing the lepers (found in Luke 17) is one most of us have heard many times, especially throughout the season of Thanksgiving. Yet, no matter how many times I hear it, I am amazed that only one out of the ten lepers returned to give glory to God. I have wondered countless times why the others never returned to express their thanks. Maybe they were so caught up in new found excitement that they forgot about the One who granted them healing. Perhaps their thoughts were focused on being reunited with family and friends. Maybe they just wanted to go back to living normal lives. But, oh, that they would have all returned. In giving Jesus the thanks He deserved, they would have also been made whole.
How many times in life are we guilty of taking the blessings God pours out, without giving Him the thanksgiving and praise He deserves? I know that I don’t stop and offer thanks nearly as often as I should. It’s not that I mean to be un-grateful. Maybe it’s that I too get so caught up in daily life that I forget just how blessed I am. Can you relate?
Like this example in scripture, many in life are touched by Jesus–but I wonder how many return to give him glory? How many realize just how awesome He is? He’s worthy of all we can give. Throughout the busyness of life, I want to stop as I go about my day to express my gratitude. Now, I endeavor to start each day with a prayer of thanksgiving. Not only throughout the month of November, but all year long. I want to be like the one who returned to give thanks…I want to be one out of ten.