Intentionally Grateful

“Where are the other nine?” Luke 17:17

Today I read in the 17th chapter of the Gospel of Luke about 10 lepers. Jesus instructed them to go to the priests. On the way, all 10 lepers were healed. Only one returned to Jesus.

Jesus said, "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine?"

While watching CNN, I came across the story of a woman who was rescued from human traffickers. She said that she was sold like a slave to three different men, and two of them tattooed their names on her back. After she was rescued, she put up a foundation to help others like her. She knew that it was so difficult for these women to have hope, much less to experience joy. They had to dig deep for the strength to decide to be grateful. 

We too have to decide to be grateful every single day. We do not want to be like the 9 lepers, who did not even turn back and express their gratitude to God for their healing. They took it for granted.

We want to be like the one leper who went back to Jesus, fell at His feet and thanked Him. When I look back at my prayer journal,  I see I have a list of blessings, but I see days when I do not list even one. I have to be more conscious, more awake, more aware of what I have. I have so many blessings!

Scientific studies show that gratitude expressed and shared, restructures our brain, physically remaps the connections in our brain, and unlocks happiness and even, joy! Digging up bad memories, hurts, traumatic experiences, reinforces the negative and holds us back. So let us be INTENTIONALLY grateful, and let that gratefulness overflow into blessing for others.