Every now and again, I sit down to write a post that makes me feel extremely nervous. This is such a post. But with Thanksgiving just a few days away, I felt the timing was appropriate to share this message.
It’s a topic that’s been on my heart and in my mind for years, literally. It’s become a more and more frequent topic of conversation among my quite diverse group of friends. And, with very few exceptions, we have landed in the same place. To some degree, I’m speaking up for that group.
Before I get into that nitty-gritty, my prayer is that God would bring my heart to the appropriate posture before him. Not one of judgment, but one that shares what I believe to be a biblical lesson or challenge for us all.
The topic, as you likely surmised from the title is GRATITUDE. Or more specifically, what those of us in this vintage (my new favorite descriptor) generation see as a serious absence of visible, genuine gratitude for kindnesses rendered.
That sounds a bit academic, doesn’t it? It’s because I struggled to know how best to describe it without being hurtful or snarky! In laymen’s terms, what my generation is seeing on a regular, consistent and often hurtful basis is family, friends, church members and co-workers who rarely show outward appreciation for a gift or an act of kindness. And in many cases, there isn’t even acknowledgment of that kindness.
Sadly, we see this played out more frequently in the generations that have followed us. But, let me be clear – this is a challenge to every one of us, myself included, to see if we have fallen short in the business of gratitude.
I’m not alone in making the decision to stop sending gifts after multiple times where the gift went unacknowledged. Virtually every friend I’ve talked with has had to make a similar difficult decision. Honestly, it breaks our hearts, and those of my friends with children struggle to understand just where they went wrong.
I could hypothesize about how our world has landed here. And these are all theories that I’ve heard batted around. Is it social media, gaming, texting, helicopter parents, entitlement or victimology, lack of communication skills, missing social training or emotional awareness, egocentricity or just a general lack of awareness? I truly don’t know and, despite my desire to figure it out, I don’t believe it’s helpful or even probable to do so.
So, instead, I want to take a look at one of the stories in the Bible and see what it tells us about showing our gratitude.
The story comes from Luke 17:11-19. You can read the full story here. In short, when Jesus was headed to Jerusalem, there were ten lepers standing at a distance begging Jesus to heal them. He told them to go show themselves to the priests, and along the way they were healed.
This is what happened next as recorded in verses 15-16: “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.”
Jesus’ response in verses 17-19: “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 [Samaritan]?’”
I know there are many lessons in this text, but I see one clear message.
Visibly showing gratitude is essential and biblical!
I won’t speculate on what any of the lepers were thinking, nor will I venture into what Jesus was thinking. It’s not my place and I don’t think it’s necessary for us in this discussion. The story stands on its own.
So my challenge, first of all, is to every one of us generally. Do we thank the people in our lives who have given us gifts, or dropped off meals, or sat with us during difficult times, or watched our children, or shown compassion in countless other ways?
Sure, written thanks are appropriate and appreciated, but I speak for many when I say we’d be satisfied with a verbal “thank you” or even a timely text message.
Here is my bigger challenge – and it’s to God’s Church. It’s to those of us who profess to know Jesus as our Lord and Savior. How can we look different to the world in this area of showing gratitude? That means looking different FROM the world. Would active, visual, consistent appreciation bless someone in ways they haven’t experienced before? Is it a way we can truly represent the love of Christ in this world?
I believe the answer is a resounding YES! Even writing this blog makes me feel even more convicted to have my “gratitude antennae” up and engaged! I don’t want to miss opportunities to bless someone else by acknowledging their kindness to me. It’s a spiritual habit SO worthy of the time invested in making it second nature.
Equally important, but not this week’s focus is the biblical exhortation to give out of a generous heart, not looking for praise or acknowledgement. So, of course our motives should be pure. But that doesn’t eliminate the biblical obligation to express our appreciation.
May God develop in us hearts to give selflessly. And may He open our eyes to the kindnesses around us and help us respond with open and sincere gratitude.
Wishing you and your loved ones a blessed Thanksgiving!
You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way,
which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.
2 Corinthians 9:11
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