Be the One Who Comes Back: Finding Gratitude That Heals
As the holidays arrive — decorations going up, Christmas music starting early for some, later for others — we enter a season that naturally turns our attention toward gratitude. Thanksgiving gives us a moment to slow down, breathe, and remember what matters.
For many, this season highlights blessings: family, friendship, meaningful work, moments of joy, and the simple grace of God’s daily presence. For others, it amplifies what feels heavy — grief, loneliness, uncertainty, or the ache of someone missing from the table.
Wherever you find yourself, Scripture reminds us that we have a Savior who understands.
Hebrews 4:15 says Jesus is “familiar with our suffering and weakness.” He sees, He hears, and He steps into the places we’d rather hide.
That’s what makes the story in Luke 17:11–19 so powerful.
Ten Were Healed — But Only One Came Back
Jesus meets ten men living with leprosy — isolated, rejected, and cut off from community. They cry out for mercy. Jesus doesn’t avoid them or turn away. Instead, He tells them to go show themselves to the priests — a command that required trust before evidence.
And as they went, they were cleansed. But only one returned. Only one paused long enough to turn around, fall at Jesus’ feet, and give thanks.
Luke notes that this man was a Samaritan — someone viewed as an outsider. Yet he becomes the model of faith and gratitude. He didn’t just receive the gift; he sought the Giver.
Jesus’ final words to him are different from the others:
“Your faith has made you well.”
The word used here is sozo — a deeper kind of healing.
It means restored, made whole, saved.
Nine received a cure. One received transformation.
Gratitude That Changes Us
Gratitude is more than a polite reaction.It’s a spiritual practice that reshapes the heart. It turns our eyes from what’s missing to what God is doing. It reorients us to the presence of Christ — even in sorrow, even in waiting. And sometimes, like the ten lepers, healing happens “as we go.”
Obedience, trust, and gratitude often build the bridge beneath our feet. Gratitude doesn’t erase our pain, but it can anchor us in God’s faithfulness. It becomes the place where wholeness begins.
Simple Ways to Practice Gratitude
Here are two daily habits that make gratitude more than a feeling:
1. Three minutes, three things.
Name three things you’re thankful for — one minute each. It reframes the entire day.
2. Keep a gratitude note in your phone. Small entries become reminders of God’s faithfulness when life feels heavy.
These simple rhythms help us become the ones who return — the ones who refuse to let blessings go unacknowledged or God’s goodness go unnoticed.
May We Be the One Who Comes Back
The story in Luke 17 invites us to pause and ask: Am I living like the nine who kept going, or like the one who returned? Gratitude is the doorway to deeper healing — the kind that grows us, strengthens us, and reminds us of the God who walks with us through every season.
Nine were cured. One was made whole. May we choose to be the one.
Discussion Questions
- Where do you see yourself in the story of the ten healed men?
- What is one meaningful example of God’s faithfulness in your life this year?
- When have you experienced “healing as you go” — growth or change that came through obedience?
- What makes gratitude difficult for you in certain seasons?
What is one small gratitude practice you want to begin this week?
