Remember to Say “Thank You”

'Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” '- Luke 17:15-19

Many of us are familiar with the story of the ten lepers in the Bible. Jesus healed all ten, but only one came back to say "thank you". It's easy to judge the other nine healed lepers, but I do the same thing so often. Sometimes the Lord's blessings are so great that I'm distracted by them and forget to be thankful. Other times, I choose to focus on the negatives in my life and what I wish I had, which is not very thankful, either!

Do you know that thankfulness is healing? In Philippians 4:6-7, Paul provides the Biblical solution for anxiety: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." I know I always feel cheerier when I'm thankful!

When I wake up in the morning, I try to remember to thank God for His blessings, whichever ones I see or whatever pops into my mind. He's blessed me so abundantly that it would take me a lifetime to list them all! I love it when the Lord helps me remember to pause and be thankful. Sometimes, I'll just look around and say, "Thank You, Lord!" in the middle of what I'm doing.

Another way I practice thankfulness is by writing down answered prayers or ways I saw God working in my life. These are anything from an encouraging word just when I needed it, to a hard situation working together for good in a way that only God can do. I forget to write so many down, but I enjoy reading through the list from time to time, thanking God. He is so good to us; we just need to stop and notice!

If you're having a hard time thinking of something to be thankful for, try naming everything you can see. "Thank You that we have a light fixture in this room. Thank You for our front door. Thank You that we don't just have a pile of clothes where our dresser is..."

Another trick I learned from my mom is wishing for what you already have. It's pretty fun and makes me smile every time: "I wish I got to live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. That would be so special. Oh, wait! I do! Thank You, Lord!"

It's always a good time to be thankful! What can you thank God for today?