BE GRATEFUL… IT PAYS!
2 Kings 5:14-17; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Luke 17:11-19
I came across two studies on the effects of gratitude.
One study examined the effects of writing letters of gratitude. The results indicated that writing such letters increased participants’ happiness and life satisfaction; it decreased depressive symptoms.
In another study, participants were assigned to one of three groups: problem-listing, gratitude-listing, and neutral life events. They kept records of their moods, health, and life appraisals. The gratitude-outlook group exhibited heightened well-being across several outcome measures.
The bottom-line: being grateful has emotional benefits; gratitude pays.
This evidence from experimental psychology confirms evidence from scripture! The first reading and the gospel are stories of the healing and gratitude of two lepers.
Acting on the word of Elisha, Naaman is cured of leprosy. He returns to give Elisha thanks and takes back some earth to build a shrine to the Lord. He recognises not only the healing but also the healer.
Acting on the word of Jesus, ten lepers are cured. Only one, a Samaritan, returns “glorifying God in a loud voice” to thank Jesus.
The gratitude of both “foreigners” is more than a simple act of politeness; it is a deep profession of faith in the saving power of God.
Giving thanks is far more important than we think! Grateful people are well equipped to face the disappointments of life: they can (like the healed Samaritan) “stand up and go their way” with enthusiasm and energy. Ungrateful people or those who take everything for granted progressively journey to loneliness, isolation, and bitterness. Perhaps there is a connection between the words “miser” and “miserable”!
The anecdote at the end! A man stumbled upon a barn. He discovered that this was the devil’s seed storehouse. Curious, he began exploring. Most of the bins were labelled “discouragement seeds”. Just then one of the devil’s helpers arrived to pick up a bin. The man asked him the reason for the abundance of discouragement seeds. The helper laughed and replied: “They are very effective and they take root quickly.” The man asked: “Do they grow everywhere?” The helper said in sullen disgust: “No! They never grow in the heart of a grateful person.”
This is just a story, but it points to a pay-off: grateful people are seldom discouraged.
Am I grateful to God (and to his mediators) for his numerous blessings and graces? How do I manifest gratitude to God and others? For whom and for what am I grateful today?
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