Appreciation - recognition and enjoyment of the good qualities of someone or something.
Considering that definition, how do we “appreciate”
someone or something? We can say “thank
you”, send cards, give gifts, serve others, and/or appropriate physical touch
such as hugs. The reality is we often don’t
SHOW appreciation. We may think it, but
we don’t express it.
In the Bible, the book of Luke shares
the story of 10 Lepers who were healed by Jesus. Leprosy was a terrible skin disease and
people who had leprosy were outcasts even to their own families. In Luke 15: 11-15, Luke explains that as
Jesus entered Jerusalem, 10 Lepers asked Jesus “to have mercy of us”—they asked
for healing. Jesus healed the men and the
Bible says they “went away cleansed.” Remember,
10 Lepers were healed. In Luke 15: 15, the
verse states “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and
with a loud voice glorified God.” Only one man came back and expressed his appreciation
to Jesus. Most likely, the other 9 men
were very thankful they were healed, but only one came back to show it.
As officials, we have unlimited
opportunities to express and show appreciation and thankfulness. Think about all of the people that we come in
contact with during a weekend of a game— crewmates, flight attendants, hotel
staff, stadium security, coaches, players, administrators just to name a few. How do we show appreciation to these people? Say “thank you’, serve others by cleaning the
locker room and leaving hotel room as clean as possible, check on crewmates to
make sure travel is going as planned, etc.
The key is to express it, live it and not just think it.
We will be remembered every where we go. Let’s be remembered as being thankful and
appreciative!
As we express
our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to
utter words but to live by them. John F. Kennedy
