A positive feedback loop
How often do we share our joy with God?
Before I entered the seminary, I worked as a counselor for a handful of summer camps each year. It was always a fun experience to work with the kids and see them enjoy the programs with their friends. Of course, there were always times when they would do something a little imprudent and discipline would have to be a part of the fun. Thankfully, I rarely had to deal with major disciplinary incidents as a counselor. And then one summer, I was asked to be the camp director, which was not a responsibility I was particularly excited for, because it meant I’d not only have to manage the whole camp, but I would also have to handle the harder, less fun moments.
One day, a couple of the kids did something exceptionally silly and their counselor brought the lot of them to me to have a chat. I sat them down and gave them the opportunity to come clean about their actions, which they did. Good start. Then I asked them plainly, “So what do you think should be the punishment for this?” Good heavens, I was not prepared for how rough they would be on themselves. They were treating themselves like outright criminals, and I felt a little bad for them. I eventually gave them a much lighter punishment (I think I took away a recreation period or something like that). A day or two later, one of the boys approached me and thanked me for going easy on them. This wasn’t something I was expecting at all and it really spoke volumes about this child. I felt appreciated for what was often a rather thankless job.
The Gospel for this Sunday shows us the gift of gratitude. Jesus heals ten lepers that were calling out to Him for mercy. Of these ten, only one returns to thank Jesus. This was not a requirement for the healing, but he still chose to intentionally express his gratitude. How often do we thank God for the graces we receive throughout the day? The nice thing about a gift is that it’s free, but so is gratitude. God desires to freely give His gifts to us every day and we can freely give our thanks to Him in return. He doesn’t demand or expect anything of us, but what a gift it is for Him to see us come running back to Him just to say thank you!
My desire for you this week is that you take a moment each day to thank God for the ways that He’s loving you, even if it’s just 30 seconds. It’s a wonderful feeling to recognize a grace, and we can share that joy with God by letting Him know that we’re thankful for it. And God delights in seeing our delight.
-Br. Andrew
