"You Ungrateful Little..."

by Greg Quinn

When my son Justin was about 5 years old, that Christmas my brother Jeff gave Justin a gift. It was a small box that Jeff handed Justin. Justin eagerly opened it and upon looking therein, saw something he didn't recognize. "What is it?", Justin asked. Jeff said, "It's a buckeye. A nut off of a Buckeye Tree that people carry in their pocket for good luck". Justin looked at the buckeye then at Jeff and said as only a 5-year-old could say, "I don't want THAT!" Jeff looked at Justin and said, "Well, you ungrateful little...". We all laughed.

For many years afterward, every time Jeff would see Justin, he would say, "Hello Justin, you ungrateful little." It became a humorous motto that we would often say to each other, "you ungrateful little", even to this day.

When Vicki and I visited my son and his family in Colorado years ago, when my grandson Dante was around 5, we told him the story. And I shot a camera phone video of 5-year-old Dante saying, "Hello Jeff, you ungrateful little". I sent it to Jeff and we all laughed every time we thought about it.

Funny how you remember things, isn't it. Something so small and seemingly insignificant and that became a motto of humor yet carried in it such a significant message. Are we ungrateful for the blessings we receive every day?

In the Bible in the book of Luke, there is a story where Jesus healed 10 lepers. Leprosy was the most horrible disease known to man at that time. The blood supply would stop going to parts of the body, these parts would become diseased and often rot off. The body would stink, there were no feelings, extremities would just fall off. The person would be alive walking around with rotting flesh. This disease was highly contagious. These people were declared unclean and under Levitical law could not even associate with normal people. They would be discarded from their families, kicked out of the cities, and forced to live in the wilderness among other lepers. If they came near anyone else on the street they would have to give way and shout "Unclean, unclean" so that no one would come near them. They were not only walking death, but they were ostracized from society, sick, forsaken, and alone. If through some miracle they were healed, they would have to go show themselves to the priests to be declared clean so they could reenter society and their families.

LUKE 17: 11-19 Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, "Jesus, Master, have pity on us!" When he saw them, he said, "Go, show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him-and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well."

Ten men were healed of the most horrible disease, but only one turned around and gave thanks to Jesus for the healing. Only one.

Now we can be critical and say, "Well if I had been one of these lepers I certainly would have ran back and thanked Jesus for healing me". Or would we? Or would we be like the nine and go on our way, thankful for our healing, but not giving thanks for the One who healed us?

Let's look at our everyday lives. Are we truly thankful for what God does for us each and every day? Or are we also an "ungrateful little"?

When we wake each morning, do we take for granted the day ahead, or do we say, "Thank you, God, for another day of life"?

When we look at ourselves in the mirror, are we saddened by the wrinkles and gray hair that comes with older age, or do we say, "Thank you, God, that you have let me live long enough to have wrinkles and gray hair"?

When we celebrate a great Thanksgiving meal, are we more concerned with what we have to eat than to enjoy the blessing of sitting around the table with family and friends?

Is it easier to find fault with our spouse and children than to praise God for giving us a spouse and children?

When we receive a gift of any kind, are we thankful for the thought if not for the gift itself, as the giver didn't have to give us anything? Or are we an "ungrateful little"?

We are often critical of our boss and our job, but shouldn't we be thankful we have a job to be able to support ourselves and our family?

We may fuss at this old truck not starting again, instead of being thankful we have a vehicle at all.

We may live in a house we don't like and wish we had something else, but until we get something better, shouldn't we be grateful to God for the house he has given us? How many people around the world have no shelter to live in?

We complain about our illnesses yet should be thankful for the healing when it comes. As I sit here writing this article, I am suffering with shingles. It's painful, but I am reminded that I could be a lot worse and I know that soon I will be better, so my discomfort should turn into praise.

Do we praise God for the victories after they happen, or can we learn to be thankful for the blessings that are coming through faith and trust in a loving God who wants the best for us?

Are we really thankful only once per year, at Thanksgiving, or can we learn to be thankful each and every day of our lives for something?

Can we start a new practice of reading the Bible daily, and as we read, become more aware of God's blessings in our lives and more thankful for each day of blessings He gives us?

Canadian author Ann Voskamp wrote a great book entitled, "One Thousand Gifts". In it, Ann shares the benefits of thanking God for everything, from the biggest gifts down to the smallest ones, and even learning to thank God for tragedies in our lives from which we learn great lessons. Ann keeps a journal in which she lists blessings or gifts she notices throughout each day, totaling eventually to 1,000 noted gifts from God. I recommend you get yourself and others this book for Christmas this year and begin a journey of thankfulness as Ann guides us through what she has learned to live a much more blessed life through thankfulness. 

How would our lives be different if we actually paid attention to the blessings that God gives us each and every day? How would our outlook on life differ if we learned to become more thankful for everything?

This Thanksgiving, I recommend you and your families start a new practice in your lives. Write down something every day for which you are thankful. Share them. Post them on the wall. Look at them as you begin to internalize God's rich blessings to you each day in every thing. I bet this will become a new activity that will make you more aware of how good God is to you each and every day. From the big things to the smallest of things, take note and be thankful. I believe the Bible teaches that when we are thankful for the blessings God gives us, we have more things which to be thankful for.

Turn over a new leaf now. Today. A new life of thankfulness. Each and every day. Be thankful for everything, good and bad. For even in bad things we learn lessons and recognize how much more we have for which to be thankful. 

No more "ungrateful little"! Be thankful.

God loves you and so do I.

Greg Quinn