The Man Who Was Healed Of Paralysis But Never Said Thank You!

One day, I was in a traffic jam and everyone was trying to get out of the jam. When I had an opportunity to get out of it, I saw a man whom I felt needed to get out faster than I did. I stepped on my brake and allowed him to get in front of me so that he can get out of the traffic.

The man saw me stop for him and he drove into the space I created for him. His next action amazed me. He simply took the opportunity I offered him and never bothered to wave his hand in appreciation. He did not think I deserved a simple nod of the head to show he appreciated me kind gesture. He just drove on.

I have had such experiences often without think much about them. However, in church today, a bible story was told that made me wonder. I wondered why men found it hard to say thank you. Why is it that after someone shows us an act of kindness, we do not think it is important to say thank you?

The story goes thus. A man was paralyzed but he had four great friends. One day the friends heard that jesus was in town. They made enquiries and found where he was staying. The four of them put their sick friend on a stretcher and took him to the house where jesus Was staying. When they got there, they were shocked to find out that every free space had already been taken up and there was no way they could take their dying friend to jesus.

The four friends of the dying man then thought out of the box. They decided to take the risky but unconventional route to get to Jesus. They pulled down the roof of another man’s house and through the hole they lowered their sick friend to the feet of Jesus. Jesus looked at the sick man and saw nothing but when he looked at his friends, he saw great faith.

Based on the faith of the sick man’s friends he was healed. Jesus forgave him his sins and toldhim to pick up his mat and go home. This was when the sick made displayed his greatest act of ungratefulness. He picked up mat and went home.

The man did not think it was necessary to say thank you to the man who healed him before going home. The man did not bother to look for his four friend that brought him to where he was cured. The sick man did not think it was important to find out what it would cost to fix the roof through which he was lowered to Jesus for his healing. He simply picked up his mat and went home.

Some one might say that he was following the instruction Jesus gave him. Jesus asked him to pick up his mat and go home. The big question is that should gratefulness be something we should be told to exhibit? Remember the story of the ten lepers. They too were asked to go. When they were healed, only one man realised that the healing was not a right but a privilege. He came back to say thank you

The story of the man made to reflect on my own live.  I began to remember occasions during which I failed to show enough appreciation. For instance, there was a day I needed about $50 to make up an urgent medical bill payment. I had no money on me that night and rushed to a friend who loaned me the last money he had on him.

Although, I finally paid him back, it just dawned on me that I never went back to him to say thank you for that day you rescued me out of a financial logjam. I also have remembered acts of kindness a lot of people have shown to me which I never bothered to go back to say thank you.

I just realised that I was no different from the paralyzed man who did not show appreciation. Gratefulness should not be based on how we value the act of kindness. We must learn and start to say at least thank you for any act of kindness someone shows us. We must show appreciation for any sacrifice some makes on our behalf.

We must look inward into ourselves to learn and practice Gratefulness. Learn to say thank you. The only man out of the ten lepers who came to say thank you was rewarded by Jesus again for coming to show appreciation for the healing he received