"Thanks!"

“He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him, and he was a Samaritan (Luke 17:16).”

“Thanks” is a complete prayer. Thanksgiving is a powerful way for you to communicate with God, yourself, and others. You can never go wrong, saying thanks. You can never be too grateful. Appreciation is always in order.

Thanksgiving is preventative. Thanking your body prevents the breakdown of various systems and organs of the body. Have you ever taken your body for granted? Have you ever assumed that a part of your body would continue to function despite you neglecting it? Have you ever abused your body with drugs, alcohol, or by not giving it any thought or attention? Sickness, pain, disease, discomfort, and dysfunction is your body crying out to be acknowledged and appreciated.

Thanksgiving is a part of your healing process. Saying thanks is curative. The Samaritan man in the text who said “thanks” was healed AND made whole. The other nine lepers who did not express gratitude limited their complete recovery. As you give thanks for the healing that happened, you become whole with less and less evidence and appearance of the prior condition. You don’t have to stop at just the elimination of the condition and its symptoms. You can keep growing in thanksgiving until there is no residue or scars from the physical or emotional challenge.

Using the Prayer Tool of Thanksgiving, Praise and Worship, make a list of 10 things for which you are grateful. After listing each one, stop and do your one-word prayer, Thanks.