Are you ready for today? Many of you are probably already up and about, putting final plans into action. But no matter what your plans are for the day – whether your house is about to be filled with guests or you are traveling or you are alone — remember to pause and give thanks. Thanks for the expected …. and the unexpected.
“One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice.” — Luke 17:15
Today is a day to give thanks. It’s on the calendar, after all. Gratitude feels expected today. And yet, Scripture tells a story of gratitude that wasn’t expected.
Ten lepers called out to Jesus for mercy. All ten were healed as they walked away. But only one turned back. One paused long enough to notice the miracle happening in real time. One retraced his steps to say thank you.
The man’s gratitude wasn’t scheduled or prompted. He didn’t know Jesus would see him. He didn’t know Jesus would heal him. But when the realization sank in that he had been healed, that seeing changed his direction.
Thanksgiving is often a day of prepared gratitude: we name blessings and remember the goodness of God. But today invites us to also give thanks for the blessings we bump into unexpectedly. The gratitude that rises when you suddenly realize a burden is lighter. The gratitude that surfaces when a memory reminds you how far God has carried you. The gratitude that surprises you in the middle of an ordinary moment.
Something holy happens when we open our eyes to the unexpected and turn back to add another thanks to the God who loves us. When we break our forward momentum long enough to say, “Lord, I didn’t see it at the time, but that was you.”
Holidays can hold both joy and ache. But the One who meets us in both still invites us to notice the healing that has already begun. Because the truth is: we are all being healed in ways we rarely see in the moment. Because God’s healing takes many forms.
Sometimes the healing is physical. Sometimes it’s emotional. Sometimes spiritual. Sometimes relational. Sometimes it’s simply the quiet mending of a heart that thought it was beyond repair.
And Thanksgiving becomes sacred when we pause—like that one grateful man—to turn back toward Jesus and acknowledge what only he could do.
May this day be filled not just with the gratitude we have seen, but with the gratitude that surprises us. Gratitude that brings us back to the feet of Christ. Not expected. Not forced. Just real.
Prayer: Lord, on this Thanksgiving Day, help me to notice the healing you are working in us and around me. Give me eyes to recognize your love and mercy in both the ordinary and the extraordinary. Surprise me with moments of unexpected gratitude that draw my heart closer to yours. Fill this day with your presence, your peace, and your joy. Amen.
