Remember to Thank the Lord
As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” 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? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” (Luke 17:12-18 NIV)
The gospel writer Luke tells us this story of ten lepers who were miraculously healed through the power and mercy of Jesus. They called out to him, begging him to have pity on them and heal them from the blistering decay of their disease. Though all ten lepers were healed, only one came back to thank the Lord. Shame on the other nine.
About two months ago, my family welcomed a new member into our household—a sweet, colorful bird named Buddy. Buddy is a green cheek conure. He is just the cutest thing! He snuggles up in my daughters’ hair and falls asleep on my husband’s chest. Buddy is a playful and mischievous little rascal. He is alert and smart; we’ve taught him two tricks already. He has brought joy and laughter into our home, and we’re all in love with him.
Shortly after we brought Buddy home, there was an accident. My four-year-old son accidentally sat on Buddy. I saw it happen from the next room. It was awful. Buddy was stunned, limp, and unresponsive. I picked him up, and his head just flopped back; except for blinking his eyes occasionally, he was completely lifeless.
The four-year-old was in hysterics. I was beside myself. What an awful situation! I didn’t know if I should tend to Buddy or comfort my son.
“This is the worst!” I thought. “If Buddy doesn’t make it, I will have a dead pet, a brokenhearted family, and a traumatized four-year-old.”
In the middle of my kitchen, I cried aloud to the Lord, “Please, God, don’t let him die! Please, please don’t let Buddy die!”
I may as well have been saying, “Jesus, master, please have pity on me!”
I’ll save you the suspense—Buddy is alive and well. We took him to the veterinarian who checked him out and assured us that he will be okay. He slowly regained his composure and personality. He was limping for about a week but returned to his normal, impish self.
It wasn’t too many days later that I realized I never thanked the Lord for saving Buddy. I prayed to the Lord, and he answered my cry. I begged him to be merciful, and he was. Yet I never went back to thank the Lord.
I stopped right then and thanked the Lord sincerely for sparing Buddy’s life. I also asked for forgiveness for all the times I gladly accepted his gifts but never expressed gratitude.
Is the untimely death of a green cheek conure as significant as a diagnosis of incurable leprosy? Certainly not. But, at that moment, my momma heart cared intensely about our family pet. God met my plea with mercy and my fear with kindness. The same God who heals lepers can coax stunned birds back to life.
Buddy’s near-death experience taught me two lessons:
- don’t let the four-year-old play with the bird unattended; and, more importantly,
- be more like the one and less like the nine.
Crying out for help is instinctual; thanking the Lord is a choice. In this new year, may we foster intentionality and discipline in saying thank you to the Lord for his goodness and grace.
lives in Michigan with her husband and four (soon to be five!) children. She is a lover of music, language, and all things thought-provoking. She is a witness and testimony to God’s redemptive grace.
Photograph © Gabrielle Henderson, used with permission
