Giving Thanks

Today, I have been wondering about giving thanks.  As always, when I am feeling reflective, I turn to the Savior who is the ultimate example of us all.  I love reading the story of the ten lepers.  The Scripture story is found in Luke 17:12-19

12  And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13  And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14  And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16  And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17  And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18  There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19  And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

I wonder how the Savior felt when only one returned to thank Him.  He did this amazing miracle and they were so excited that they hurried off without even a single word of thanks.  The one who did return to thank Him was a Samaritan.  These were people who did not believe.  Yet, this one man remembered and returned.    I find it interesting that ten were cleansed, but only one was made whole.  I think that this must have been a wonderful and amazing blessing in his life.

Bishop Merrill J. Bateman taught: “In becoming a whole person, the grateful leper was healed inside as well as on the outside. That day nine lepers were healed skin deep, but only one had the faith to be made whole” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1995, 16; or Ensign, May 1995, 14).

The Savior alone knows how help us.  It is to Him that we owe our gratitude.  I think of His great example of strength.  What strength He must have had to almost never be thanked or appreciated.  What strength it must have taken to continue walking with those who did not recognize who He was or what His purpose was in coming.  May each of us take a moment today (or even several moments) to remember those things which we have been blessed with in our lives.  May we each remember Him who helps to bear our burdens and heal our hearts.  May our faith in Him help each of us to truly become whole.  

Washed Clean

by Boyd K. Packer

In ancient times the cry “Unclean!”

Would warn of lepers near.

“Unclean! Unclean!” the words rang out;

Then all drew back in fear,

Lest by the touch of lepers’ hands

They, too, would lepers be.

There was no cure in ancient times,

Just hopeless agony.

No soap, no balm, no medicine

Could stay disease or pain.

There was no salve, no cleansing bath,

To make them well again.

But there was One, the record shows,

Whose touch could make them pure;

Could ease their awful suffering,

Their rotting flesh restore.

His coming long had been foretold.

Signs would precede His birth.

A Son of God to woman born,

With power to cleanse the earth.

The day He made ten lepers whole,

The day He made them clean,

Well symbolized His ministry

And what His life would mean.

However great that miracle,

This was not why He came.

He came to rescue every soul

From death, from sin, from shame.

For greater miracles, He said,

His servants yet would do,

To rescue every living soul,

Not just heal up the few.

Though we’re redeemed from mortal death,

We still can’t enter in

Unless we’re clean, cleansed every whit,

From every mortal sin.

What must be done to make us clean

We cannot do alone.

The law, to be a law, requires

A pure one must atone.

He taught that justice will be stayed

Till mercy’s claim be heard

If we repent and are baptized

And live by every word. …

If we could only understand

All we have heard and seen,

We’d know there is no greater gift

Than those two words—“Washed clean!”