Thanking God

" ... a bruised reed he will not break,
    and a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory;
    and in his name the Gentiles will hope.” 

Matthew 12:20-21 (quoting Isaiah)

The Missouri Baptist Convention’s 2025 annual meeting was remarkable for a number of reasons. Monday night’s service was Spirit-filled and invigorating! The drive to Branson was beautiful and the drive home was long and rainy. Good connections were made with ministry leaders in the state and I was introduced to my role as one of the trustees of Hannibal-LaGrange University. 

But it was a Tuesday morning conversation that is sticking with me. As Joel and I were drinking coffee at a full Holiday Inn breakfast area, I overheard a conversation that made me think about something more than hotel java. 

The discussion was this – Amid the aches, pains, and conditions of those discussing, they were airing their grievances about the American health care system. One was sure it was the pharmaceutical companies that have wreaked havoc on our system. The other thought it was the politicians that had driven American health care to a level below that of undeveloped countries . There were other opinions, but these were the two loudest voices. 

The debaters were these – the “Golden Girls,” yet they were much more advanced in both age and physical fragility than Blanche, Dorothy, and Rose from the iconic 1980’s sitcom. As I write this, I can list a bill of particulars with all of my aches and pains, but I will spare you that! (I wish there was a recording of me and Joel slowly getting out of the truck after a 4-hour trip – the groaning was legendary)

The striking thought was this – Luke 17.

In Luke’s Gospel, we see Jesus cleansing 10 people with leprosy. He commands all of them to depart and show themselves to the priest – the law demanded that as a part of social restoration. As they went, they were cleansed. Only one man turned back to give Jesus the gift of humble praise for what he had done. 

“… and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus answered, ‘Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?’ And he said to him, ‘Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.’” Luke 17:16-19

The striking thought applied – If those bemoaning the current state of health care had been born 50 years earlier, they would not have lived as long as they currently have. Our health care system, with all of its faults and fractures, had developed care to the point where life expectancy is at an all-time high. If they had survived to their current age, fifty years ago, they certainly would not have been able, physically or financially, to take a vacation in Branson, Missouri!

The very system that sustained their life with enough cash to go on vacation was the very system they were maligning. It was a living example of the children of Israel being delivered out of Egyptian slavery so that they could complain about the living conditions of their freedom!

Our bodies, including the health that either blesses or besets, are gifts from God. What child, when given a good gift, complains about the gift without offending the giver? Lord, keep me from a mood of complaining about the good things that you have given me this day, this hour, and this minute!

Let’s pause, today, in the midst of our travails and give thanks to the God who has given us breath!