A Mindset of Gratitude
Author: Abi Oxley-Derrick
November 16, 2023
“One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, ‘Praise God!’ He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done.”
I’ve read the parables in the gospels dozens of times. I’ve heard the stories since I was a young girl, and have definitely read that scripture above multiple times. But while reading it during my quiet time the other day, something (the Holy Spirit) stopped me in my tracks and had me going back to it all day. If you’ve never heard this short parable before, here it is:
“As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, crying out, ‘Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!’ He looked at them and said, ‘Go show yourselves to the priests.’ And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, ‘Praise God!’ He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, ‘Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?’ And Jesus said to the man, ‘Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.’”
Wow, such a short quip from Jesus packs so much truth about our tendencies and human nature. How many times have I begged the Lord for a need or a desire, then turned around as soon as He was kind enough to give it to me, and didn't praise Him? How many times has my first instinct been to choose selfishness over gratitude? How many times have I been fixated on what’s next or what I need rather than looking back at all the times God has been unbelievably GOOD to me?
As people, we can get so caught up in what’s happening next or what we need from the Lord, that we are no better than the nine lepers who didn’t give God the glory that He’s due. The world, the enemy, and our flesh LOVES to keep us in postures of selfishness and greed. But in the Kingdom of God, the posture of gratitude is the opposite, and is one of our most powerful tools in fighting the hardships of life.
Colossians 3:15 says, “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” And Philippians 4 says this: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 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.”
Do you see the theme here?
To the core of my being, I NEVER want to be the leper that fails to look back and glorify God for what He’s done. My prayer today and everyday is that gratitude for the Lord and the tremendous amounts of blessings He bestowed upon me are at the forefront of everything I do and say. Even in the tough, even in the hard, even when it’s easier to sulk than to praise, I want to adopt the mindset of Gratitude.
So even today, while I write this with a toddler who won’t sleep, I’m grateful for who she is, and the constant joy she is to me.
So even today, while my to-do list is a mile long, I’m grateful for the provision God has provided through my amazing job.
So even today, with piles of laundry and a sink full of dishes, I’m grateful for a beautiful home to come back to each day, full of love.
So even today, if anything and everything went wrong, I will still be grateful. Because no matter what, I have a God who is: generous, kind, just, loving, merciful, patient, and wonderful. And that is a reason to be grateful.
So as we go into this season of thanksgiving, let us always be like the leper who chose to turn back and glorify God.
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