Today was very good for me. If you haven't noticed, I haven't blogged in several days. It is Satan definitely attacking me either through my kids' school issues or through the pain in my shoulder as a result of the car accident two years ago. When he attacks, he definitely attacks hard.
So, to be honest, I have not finished the lessons for this week. I am three days behind, but what I got out of today's lesson at church really moved me.
This is the week that we studied about thanking the Lord. God commands us in I Thessalonians 5:18 to "give thanks to the Lord." It's not a request, but a command. Every day, something new was pointed out that we need to be thankful for whether it is the people that we struggle with or the results of painful events in our life. Now, I didn't say be thankful for the pain inflicted, but the results that will come as a result. It talked about how these struggles and painful things we encounter as Christians, while not caused by God but He helps us through it, produce a ministry in us. I told my class today about my brother, Kevin, and how I lost him five years ago this year. I distinctly remember hearing, "I will praise you in this storm" on the radio and I clung to that song to help me make it through my drive to my parents' house. When the pastor asked if there was anything special we wanted to occur at the funeral, I asked that he offer the plan of salvation because I knew a lot of my brother's friends were not Christians. As a result of the plan of salvation being offered, I believe it was around seven people that came to know Christ that day. I know that this will sound odd to some, but that actually helped me cope a lot with his death. Would I love to have him back? YES! In a heartbeat, I would love to him call my name in his odd way just one more time or even sing a song for me and ask me to turn my head so I wouldn't look at him when he sang since it made him nervous. I guess I look at it as that he didn't die in vain because he now has friends that will meet him in Heaven one day. One thing that did help me cope with his loss was Johnny's cousin's wife, Jeannie, who shared her similar experience with her brother. God used her that night to help me get through the difficult time. It has only been recently that I feel like I have been able to offer myself to others that are going through similar situations. I am thankful for that and hope that I can offer the same comfort that Jeannie offered me that one night.
I also had some revelations today. I need to be more thankful for what I have. The teacher today was saying that if anyone makes over $40,000 a year, that they are considered in the top 1% of the wealthiest people in the world. Here I complain about not having some stuff in my life, and I live above my means. I did notice that last year, we, as a family, learned to live off substantially less than previous years, but we made it through just fine. I had given it over to God and He provided beyond my expectations. It blew me away.
I also need to be thankful for my kids. Strangely, this verse spoke volumes to me today.
"Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests." Proverbs 14:4.
I instantly thought of my kids with this verse. You have to understand that I am a control freak. When I see their messy rooms, I about lose it. But as the verse says, the manger is empty but with the ox comes abundant harvests. They may have the messiest room, but they give me so much love. Just last night, we were getting on to Colby for his messy room, but he got up this morning and cleaned it and next thing I knew, Bailey and Colby were fighting over who was going to snuggle with me. That is my abundant harvest!! It is definitely better than an empty manger!! The same thing can be said of my wonderful husband! There are times that tough between us, but in the end, I could not live without him and his unconditional love for me, even when I am not the nicest person. :)
I can't wait to do the rest of the lessons to see what else I can be thankful for! I have so much to be thankful for. What about you?
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