Say Thank You

When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed.

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well." – Luke 17: 14-19

Today’s Reading: 2 Samuel 14-15; Luke 17: 1-19

Ten dudes with leprosy ask for healing. Ten get healed. Only one comes back and says thank you.

Not a good look.

This is one of my pet peeves. It seems like people don’t say thank you anymore. I wonder why that is. Do people see it as a sign of weakness? Has something been lost in our collective ability to appreciate the actions of others? Maybe we think that there is nothing to be thankful for… maybe we think that the people who do things for us are supposed to; that we are entitled to the good graces provided to us by those around us.

I don’t have the answer here but It’s gotta stop.

There is something exceptionally loving in those two words. When we thank someone, we acknowledge them. We are not just acknowledging the particular deed or action that benefited our lives. We are also communicating to that person that we recognize their value in our lives. We recognize the love that we have received from them.

We recognize their humanity.

This sort of acknowledgement is sorely needed. Look at all the folks on twitter and facebook tweeting and updating their status all day. Look at all of the folk out there with blogs. So many of us are clamoring for attention. We want to be heard and felt. We need someone to listen.

We all want to believe that we matter.

I’m no sociologist nor psychologist but I really do think that if we all made a

better effort to acknowledge the humanity in those around us then the world would be a better place.

It’s the little things that matter.

So next time you have the opportunity don’t hesitate to say thank you to someone who has shown you love. Say hello to a stranger. Say I’m sorry to someone that you have wronged.

I bet that more often than not you will make that person smile. And with that smile, the world has already changed.