How full is your “thank tank” today? Are you running low? Are you running on empty? Are you asking, “What’s a thank tank?” During this season of “Thank-full-ness” from Thanksgiving to Christmas I find myself moving a little faster than usual and with a longer to do list than normal.
As I hurriedly cross off my to do list, get Christmas Cards out, make a list, check it twice…one of the things I forget is to watch my fuel gauge. Amidst the hurry I often forget to refill my “thank.” How about you? If you are looking for a few ways to refill you thank this season here are three ideas.
3 Ways to Keep Your Thank-full This Week
1. Keep Perspective
Notice the word perspective. It comes from the Latin per (meaning “through”) + specere (meaning “look at”). Each of us has a set of lenses that we look through that either cloud or enhance our perspective. This week spend some time focusing on what you have, not what you don’t.
When He saw them (the 10 lepers), He said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they were going, they were cleansed. Now one of them, when he saw that he had been healed… Luke 17:15a NASB.
If you read Luke 17 you will notice that only one of the 10 lepers that were cleansed came away healed. What was the difference? His perspective. “When he saw that he had been healed!” The other nine were in a hurry to get to the priest, but one, only one, was really healed and it was because of his perspective. He was not focused on where he needed to go (to see the priest), but where he needed to be (thankfully with Jesus).
2. Go Back
The success language of today is about vision, mission, goals, advancing and making progress. There is absolutely nothing wrong with these principles or words. What I want to point out is the unconventional wisdom of keeping your thank-full requires backing up on occasion. Sometimes we need to turn around and say, “Thank You.”
Only one of the 10, turned back, glorifying God with a loud voice. Luke 17:15 NASB. He didn’t go back to tell Jesus “thanks” he went back with a Thank-Full heart. See those two words “loud voice?” In the Greek it’s the words megas + phōnē. Yep, you got it. He turned back glorifying God with a megaphone like voice.
3. Embrace Now
If thankfulness is simply a thought in our life it will come and go and the faster life moves the more our thank tank drains. We must embrace the moment, embrace now! If thankfulness is an attitude then it can lead to a life style. Only one leper had an attitude of gratitude and it changed his life.
This one leper who was thankfully compelled to go back to Jesus had every right to keep going with the others. You could even say he was the only ONE who disobeyed what Jesus said! After all, Jesus TOLD them all to “go show yourselves to the priest.” He did not (at least initially), he kept perspective, went back, and embraced the now!
Jesus’ response, Stand up and go; your faith has made you well. Luke 15:19 NASB
Made you well! It doesn't say cleansed, healed, fixed or repaired. It says, made you well. The word is Sozo. It’s used over 100 times in the New Testament and it’s far more than a cleansing of a disease in fact, as it's used here, it doesn't have anything to do with leprosy or being sick and has everything to do with the soul!
The word Sozo means you have been made complete, whole, you are made well! The word is directed at the cleansed lepers soul not at his skin. Nine lepers were cleansed but only one was healed, only one was made spiritually whole and do you know the only difference between the nine and the one? One had a Thank-Full and nine were Thank-Empty.
How is full is your tank today? The answer could change your life!