Showing Thankfulness

Bible Reading: Psalm 92:1; 100; Luke 17:11-19

Emma sighed. “You really messed up, Elijah.”

“What?” Elijah was baffled. “How?”

“You made Mom sad by what you said.” Emma folded her arms. “No, it’s not what you said, it’s what you did. Wait, it’s not what you did, it’s the way you did it.”

Elijah stared at her. His sister wasn’t making sense. “So how’d I do whatever I did?”

Emma shook her head. “You mumbled thank you—and walked away! Mom went out of her way to pick up your friends, drive them to the game, and buy everyone lunch. And what did you do?”

“I thanked her!”

“Barely. You didn’t sound very grateful at all. Even a whale shows more appreciation than that.”

Elijah’s face scrunched up. “Huh?”

“In class I learned about a fisherman who spotted a whale tangled in fishing ropes off the coast of San Francisco,” Emma said. “He reported it and a scuba diving team came and cut the ropes off the whale.”

“Wow,” said Elijah. “I bet it was thankful.”

“Yes—and it showed everyone how thankful. When it realized it was free, it swam to each diver and gently bumped them, like it was thanking them.”

Elijah pictured it swimming in circles, giving the divers a whale-sized thanks. “I gotta fix something,” he said.

Elijah found Mom and gave her a big hug. “I’m sorry I didn’t thank you nicely for your help.”

Mom smiled. “I was wondering if you were like the lepers who weren’t thankful to Jesus for healing their awful disease.”

Elijah remembered the story. Jesus healed ten lepers, but only one took the time to come back and thank Him. “I think I’ve been forgetting to thank God for things too.”

“Well, I’m glad you came back,” Mom said. “True thankfulness starts with remembering all that God does for us. He has set us free from sin and made us His children through Jesus, and He takes care of us and fills our lives with good things. As we grow more thankful toward Him, we’ll show more gratitude to others too.”

Elijah decided that was the kind of person he wanted to be. “Thanks, Mom. And I really mean it this time.” He grinned. “It only took a whale to remind me!”

-Matt Shoemaker

How About You?

Do you thank God for all He’s done for you? Do you show you appreciate what others do for you too? God loves you so much, and He has put people in your life who show you His love and care. When you thank God for the blessings He’s given you, thankfulness becomes a way of life. Thank God for what He’s done, and trust Him to help you show your thankfulness to others too.

Today’s Key Verse:
1 Corinthians 1:4 I always thank my God for you. (NLT)

Today’s Key Thought:

Show that you’re thankful