Giving Thanks

Are you thankful?

Without knowing you personally my guess is the answer to this question is a very matter-of-factly, “Yes.”

Most of us probably assume we’re pretty thankful, especially around the holidays because….well…it’s the “season” to be thankful. But the thought that keeps swirling around in my head is: Am I really thankful?

As a kid my parents had to remind me to say “thank you” to a relative who gave me a gift on my birthday or Christmas. I have done the same with my own children. Kids need to be reminded that a “thank you” is a proper response to someone’s kindness. But let me ask this question: Who’s reminding you?

If you’re like me you answer might be, “I don’t need to be reminded. I am very thankful for what I have.” It might be true for you, but I’m not sure I’m as thankful as I’d like to think.

In Luke 17, Jesus comes across a colony of lepers. If you remember, lepers were those who contracted a bacterial disease affecting the nervous system resulting in skin infection and loss of extremities. A pretty devastating disease to live with and in Jesus’ day those who were infected were casted out of normal society and forced to live on the outskirts.

In this passage, the lepers cry out for Jesus to have mercy. He heals them and tells them to have a priest confirm their healing. All ten of the lepers go to the priest, all were healed from this disease, yet only one returns to Jesus to give thanks. Yup, only one!

Why? I think it’s easy for us to identity with the thankful leper because, as stated previously, most of us assume we’re pretty thankful people. But how many of us would admit we’re probably more like the nine who didn’t give thanks to Jesus and His miraculous work.

The phrase “thank you” actually means: I will remember what you did for me.

The one leper returns to Jesus and gives thanks. He praises God. In other words, he declares, “I will remember what you did for me!”

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. It’s a time to gather with family, friends, enjoy some food, watch some football, and maybe take a nap. But maybe this year our word of thanks can take on a new yet slightly old meaning. Maybe this year we declare to God like the leper did, “Praise God! Thank you! I will remember what you did for me!”

Make Yourself At Home

Remember when we used to visit a friend’s house? It seems so long since we’ve done so with regularity (darn COVID), but do you remember what it was like to be invited into a home and friends saying the phrase, “Feel free to make yourself at home!”

What does that actually mean? Can I toss my keys on the coffee table and put my feet up? Can I head straight to the refrigerator and drink from the milk carton? Do I throw my toothbrush on their bathroom counter and find an open bed to stay for a couple of weeks?

This notion seems a bit strange when it’s put that way. I’m certain we all understand the connotation of a phrase like this, but what if our friends really meant it? “I mean it, truly, make yourself at home.”

I was thinking about my house and what it provides for my family. My home is more than a storage unit. It’s more than a place to shelter us from the elements of weather. It can often be a sanctuary; even a place my family finds solace.

In my reading this morning it brought me to Psalm 91:9. It reads:

“If you say, ‘The Lord is my refuge,’ and you make the Most high your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.”

While absorbing this passage a question came to mind: If the Lord is truly MY refuge, how am I making myself at home with Him?

When pondering this question it prompted another: Am I behaving like I’m just visiting God a couple of times a week instead of making God my dwelling place?

My home is a place I return to every night. It’s the place where I wake up and the place where I can be myself. My home is truly a dwelling place of protection; a place of refuge. So, if this is true of my physical home, then how much more should this be true of God?

Have you unpacked your belongings? My guess is you’ve filled your drawers with clothes and your toiletries have their place in the bathroom. I assume your pantry and refrigerator have the essentials for nourishment…..but have you done this when it comes to God? Are you making your home with Him or are you just visiting?

Visiting can be nice. But no one lives out of their suitcase when they’re home. So, maybe it’s time for you to unpack your things. Empty it all out and make your home in God. It’s certainly not a command. In fact, it is more of an invitation. Doing so might help you see there truly is no place like home.