Grateful hearts are great hearts!

Luke 17:11-19

11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18 Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

Food for thought!

We all understand and appreciate the importance of gratitude. How it can radically change relationships. In fact, one of the first things we got taught and that we teach our children is to express their gratitude. Someone gives them some candy and the parents say: "Now what do you say?" And the child learns early in life that the answer is "Thank you." And certainly we all know as adults that we appreciate being thanked by people. Yet, when it comes to giving thanks to our heavenly father, we so often miss the mark.
When it comes to this issue of giving our thanks to God, I don't suppose there is any story in the Bible that is so endearing to us, so timelessly appropriate, as the story of Jesus healing the ten lepers. We have all heard the story many times, but like so many Bible stories, we never exhaust its richness.
As you know, whatever you give your attention and belief to becomes your experience. So, focus your attention on the way you would like to see yourself. Practice waking up each day with an inherent expectation of good and with a wonderful feeling of thanksgiving for life itself. Your days will be filled with exciting adventures.
Remember that a grateful mind is a great mind which eventually attracts to itself great things. An old adage states that “where your attention goes, your energy flows.” This means we tend to attract that to which we give our attention. So, even in situations that at first appear difficult or unpleasant, see all the good you can and bless the good you can see! Learn to give thanks even for your problems and challenges.
As you face your situations and overcome them, you grow in strength, wisdom, and compassion.
"But we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us." (Rom 5:3-5)

An ancient proverb says, “A donkey may carry a heavy load of sandalwood on its back and never know its preciousness—only its weight.” Sometimes people feel the weight of circumstances and lose sight of what such circumstances prepare us. Leprosy prepared the ten lepers to meet Jesus. Your problems and difficulties may be preparing you to meet Jesus or to grow your personality or to mature you or even to prepare you for better opportunities.