The Importance of Saying Thank You

"Jesus, Master, have mercy on us" (Luke 17:13). When Jesus encountered the ten lepers on his way to Jerusalem, all ten asked to be healed. All ten obeyed Jesus' command to go show themselves to the priests. As the lepers went to the priests, they were healed. However, only one returned to thank Jesus.

That seemed to surprise Jesus. "Were not all ten cleansed?" he asked. "Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" (Luke 17:17).

Jesus did not heal the lepers for the thanks. But He really appreciated it when one He had healed remembered his manners.

In the scriptures the mother of the leper who gave thanks was not mentioned. But we see the fruit of her teaching in her son's behavior. Chances are she had to remind him many times to say "thank you" to those who did things for him or gave him something. And in his younger days she probably wondered if he would ever catch on to the importance of giving thanks. Can't you hear her saying, "Son, tell the man thank you."

And his reply, "Aw, mom, he knows."

"That's okay," she replied, "he needs to hear it from you." Probably this statement was punctuated by this mom giving her son "the eye!"

It probably wasn't many days before a similar situation came up again and the mother faithfully repeated the scene. "Son, remember to say thanks."

As her son grew into adulthood, this mother was diligent with her instruction. She realized, like all mothers do, that her time of influence was limited. She prayed daily for all her children to learn their lessons well.

This sweet mother never dreamed one of her children would one day contract leprosy and become an outcast. What heartache! But neither did she dare to dream he would be healed by Jesus Christ.

When Jesus met the ten lepers on the road to Jerusalem, he didn't require anything of them. He didn't stop to think of the training their mothers had given them. He merely responded with love and compassion to their request for pity and healing.

We can almost hear the frustration in His voice as he asks, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?" But His pleasure is also evident at the one who took the time to return and express his gratitude.

Can you imagine how this leper's mother would have felt if she had been watching this scene unfold? Her heart would have swelled with pride as she watched the fruit of her teaching as her son bowed in thanks to the One who had healed him of the terrible disease.

Giving thanks is not something that is spontaneous. Expressing our thanks to another person is a deliberate act. We learn to be thankful people by watching those around us.

Can you remember learning to say thank you? Perhaps an older sibling had something you really wanted and he or she teased you by holding it out in front of you. "I'll give it to you when you say 'thank you.'"

As you got older, your mother or father probably said, "Mind your manners," if you forgot to thank someone for a kind word or act. Then, as you became the adult, you heard yourself saying the same thing to a child, a niece, or nephew.

Gratitude and appreciation are important. People who are thankful are happy people. People who are thankful have lots of friends. People who are thankful have learned to say with Paul, "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances" (Philippians 4:11). Thankful people know real thanks giving springs from a heart that is focused on God.

Copyright © 2014, Linda Gilden. Used by permission.