Let’s face it, the biggest reason why people don’t say “thank you” is ungratefulness. No need to mince words here. And we don’t need to hide behind excuses like awkwardness or embarrassment.
Most of us have had our share of giving gifts that went unappreciated. You know the feeling- you did your best, gave your all, sacrificed a lot of things just to do something special for another person. You planned for a surprised, you ended up getting surprised, and hurt, and wounded. How could the other person be ungrateful?
Sounds like God’s story. He sent Jesus to save us, to die for us, to vacate the highest throne of heaven just to save humanity. He sacrificed a lot! But when he arrived, nobody would give shelter to Mary and Joseph, he was born in a manger and a king attempted to kill him. Worse, He was crucified 33 years later.
You know what’s painful about this whole thing? Every year 2000 years after his birth, people celebrate Christmas by paying homage to Santa Claus, not Him. That’s the thank you Jesus got.
In my previous post, I recounted the story of the ten lepers who were healed of their dreadful disease after they encountered Jesus. Only one came back to thank the one who made the miracle happen. Where are the other nine? That’s a searing question.
In a few hours, 2009 is going to be gone for good. It has been a good year. We are celebrating. We are going to have lots of fireworks. We are with our families, singing Auld Sang Lyne and getting drunk. In a few hours, we would welcome January, the Norse god Janus.
And Jesus is asking the same question: Where are the other nine?
January 12th, 2010 
Jojo Agot 
My pastor once said that the battle for purity is won when the issue of passion is resolved in your heart, or something along those lines. I’m not really good at remembering smart lines like that but the truth behind those words simply struck me.
