Recently, as I was in a prayerful time of contemplation, I heard these words, “Wholeness begins with gratitude.” I immediately thought of this story:
Then as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off. And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
So when he saw them, He said to them, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.
And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.
So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”
And he said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you whole.”
(Luke 17:12-19)
How astonishing! Ten lepers were healed, but only one was made whole.
What does it mean to be made whole? It is the Greek word sozo, which means to save, deliver or protect, to heal, preserve, save, do well, be whole. Think of it this way, ten men got an outside job, but one got an inside job too.
Why weren’t they all just instantly made whole when their leprosy was healed? My body is separate from my soul. The soul is made up of the mind, the will, and the emotions.
One man returned to Jesus and thanked him. This man acknowledged the source of his healing. This man’s wholeness began with gratitude. Something changes inside of us when we choose to be grateful. Our focus shifts from something bad to something good. Rather I should say it shifts to someone good.
Try it. When you find yourself feeling down because it seems like Murphy’s Law has been put into effect in your day, find something good to be thankful for. There is good all around you just waiting to be acknowledged. When we do this, our soul is acknowledging our Creator who happens to be really good.
David, the psalmist, understood this so well when he wrote these words:
Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits:
Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases,
Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
(Psalm 103:1-5)
Sometimes you just have to say to your soul, “Hey you! Look at all this goodness that comes from God!” We live in a culture that seems bent toward cynicism and negativity. Have you looked at Facebook lately?
A couple of weeks ago, a friend ours started a social media campaign called #findingthegoodin2017. Through this, everyone is encouraged to find the good things in life and post them on social media. I think it’s a fantastic idea! This can be more than just a campaign. We can start a movement. We may not eliminate all the negativity, but we can flood it so heavily with goodness that we drown out it’s voice.
So let’s do this – personally and publicly. You and I were placed here to not only make a difference, but to change the culture. I’ve often said, “you don’t have to look very far to find something bad. Well, you don’t have to look very far to find good. In fact, good is living inside you. His name is Jesus!
#findingthegoodin2017
Are you with us?
Finding good,
Kevin