Tongue Pierced by Nelson Searcy

Author:Nelson Searcy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Tongue, Words, Power of Words, Cursing, No Cursing Challenge, Church Leader Insights, The Journey Church
Publisher: David C Cook
Published: 2014-12-16T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

Developing an Attitude of Gratitude

As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation

is not just to utter the words, but to live by them.

John F. Kennedy

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks;

for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Paul (1 Thess. 5:16–18 NKJV)

When my son started talking, thank you was one of the first phrases we taught him to say. I don’t think that’s unusual. After mama, dada, and a few other baby words, thank you is drilled into most children’s heads early on. When they hand us a soggy cracker they’ve been gumming, we say, “Thank you.” When someone gives them a gift or a compliment, we are quick to prompt, “What do you say?” to which they gurgle “Tank ouuu” or something to that effect, depending on their age. Even though they don’t comprehend the significance of what they are saying, we make them say it anyway—and not simply because we place a high value on good manners. It’s more than that. We understand the importance of expressing sincere gratitude to those who show us a kindness. Well, most of us do.

On that note, how do you feel when someone should say thank you but doesn’t? Have you ever gone out of your way to do something nice for another person only to feel a little jilted when he or she doesn’t say thanks? When you give a gift, you expect a thank-you note—or at least an email or phone call. When you pick up the bill at dinner, you expect your dining companions to show a little gratitude. Getting that gratitude isn’t your goal when you take care of the check, give a gift, or do any other thoughtful thing, but still such courtesy shouldn’t be neglected. When it is, you walk away feeling a little taken advantage of, right?

More Than Manners

While we teach our children to say thank you and try to remember to say thank you in our own lives, we often have to deal with the ripple effects of ingratitude—both others’ and our own. This problem isn’t anything new. Jesus faced the same thing in his day. One afternoon during his ministry, while he was on a journey from Galilee to Judea, Jesus passed through a place called Samaria. As he walked along the road, he saw ten lepers standing at a distance trying to get his attention. They were crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13).

We don’t hear much about leprosy these days, but in Jesus’s time it was serious business. Leprosy was considered not only extremely contagious but also incurable, which is why these ten lepers were standing apart from everyone else. When people were diagnosed with the disease, they were sent to a quarantined area, known as a leper colony, to live with other lepers. They lost their families and their livelihoods. They were destined to live in exclusion until they got an infection through their rotted skin and died.

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