Be the One Grateful Leper

Thursday, November 22nd, 2012     by Lori Roeleveld     5 Comments
One of God’s chief complaints against the Israelites, besides their unfaithfulness in serving idols, was their ingratitude.
Listing things for which we’re grateful in the days leading up to Thanksgiving has become part tradition, part cliché.
It’s not hard to make a list
what’s hard is cultivating a grateful heart full of contentment that can survive family tensions, burned stuffing, disruptive children, and imperfect events that fail to pass the Hollywood test of living up to our dreams developed through years of movie images of perfection.
Impossible.
Impossible for flawed humans to pull off perfection.
Impossible for fallen beings to maintain grateful hearts when there are so many things they want but do not have – real things, things they truly need like companionship,  food for tomorrow, shelter, peace, healing.
What is impossible for humans alone, is possible with God.
Just as it’s impossible for a leper to be healed with just a word, so it is impossible for people in a world designed to inspire constant relentless want to have grateful hearts.
But lepers are healed
and hearts fill with thanks
at a word from Jesus.
Ask Him for that word to heal your ungrateful heart and fill you with contentment
even if there are people missing from your table today
even if you don’t have a table today
even if what you do today falls short
even if no one notices your work
even if everyone else won’t cooperate with your effort to honor God on this day
be the one grateful leper.
From one grateful leper to another, I am thankful for you and for this space God has created to allow us to meet here in these words. You are not alone.
Happy Thanksgiving, loved ones. Be the grateful leper and watch what God does in your heart.


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5 Comments

    The Conversation

  1. Lady in the Loge says:
    November 23, 2012 at 7:42 am

    Thankful, as a grateful leper, to be connected through DWJRI.

    Reply
  2. Nike Chillemi says:
    November 23, 2012 at 2:42 pm

    I’ve been grouchy lately…more than lately. It has to do with the election results, but more than that. Hurricane Sandy, but more than that.

    I’m not sure if that makes me an ungrateful Leper or not. It makes me grouchy and unpleastant though. Grrr.

    Reply
  3. Nike Chillemi says:
    November 23, 2012 at 2:52 pm

    Taking another look at Luke 17: 19 I see they were cleansed as they went. Often He tells us to do something and our blessing comes as we do it. Now the one turned back to thank Him and glorify Him and He said to the one, “your faith has made your well.” Here talking about the foreigner having returned to give glory and thanks. {NASB} I’m wondering if cleansed and well are the same thing here? I think not. I feel the “well” is shalom…wholeness, nothing lost, nothing broken, joy and peace.

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says:
    November 23, 2012 at 3:04 pm

    I loved the simple telling of this story. Lori, did you draw those “stick people”? They reminded me of your elementary school art work. Love, MOMMA

    Reply
  5. Mocha with Linda says:
    November 24, 2012 at 6:09 pm

    Love this. Need this. Thanks.

    Reply