And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
Luke 17:15-18
Carl Rowan had a long career as a syndicated newspaper columnist. He received many rewards and recognitions for his work. After decades of success he was invited to speak at a banquet in his honor. Recounting the event later, Rowan wrote, āI gave a speech in which I said that Frances Thompson had given me a desperately needed belief in myself. A newspaper printed the story, and someone mailed the clipping to my beloved teacher. She wrote me: āYou have no idea what that newspaper story meant to me. For years, I endured my brother’s arguments that I had wasted my life. When I read that you gave me credit for helping to launch a marvelous career, I put the clipping in front of my brother. After he’d read it, I said, ‘You see, I didn’t really waste my life, did I?'”Ā
People showing a lack of gratitude is one of the characteristics of our world today. But that is not a new phenomenon. Almost three hundred years ago Samuel Johnson wrote, āPraise, like gold and diamonds, owes it value to its scarcity.ā And even Jesus experienced that when He healed ten lepers but only one returned to show gratitude.Ā
It is vital for us to be grateful to God for all that He has done for us. But we also need to be mindful of the impact words of praise can have on people who have invested in our lives. A simple expression of gratitude has a powerful impact on those who receive it. āA word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silverā (Proverbs 25:11).
