Thankfulness

Happy Thursday! My mom wrote a guest post for your enjoyment and encouragement today! :)


It is amazing what a couple of days "up North" did for me. It was nice just to have time to think. These are my thoughts. My hope is that they will encourage you.

I accepted an old family friend on Facebook last week. As I thought about how his life turned out for him I began to feel sorry for myself. He is a musician in a band that was nominated for a Grammy award (or is it Emmy? I don't keep track of these things). The band is Spyro Gyra. I've looked at their website and they travel EVERYWHERE. Not just Europe but other cool places like Dubai and Russia. My brother and I tried to get together with him last summer but he was "out of the country." I began thinking how it must be nice to be "out of the country." I have always loved to travel. I would go anywhere if the opportunity presented itself. When Nichole and Rebekah went to Germany, I thought that it was just not right that my kids got to go before I did. Again, I had the same thought when Matty went to Cameroon. So, the more I thought about Scott and his life the more I began to feel like life was passing me by. I'll be 50 this year and with the economy the way that it is I wondered if I would ever get to go anywhere. I've been to Canada. That's it, not even Mexico.

It didn't help that that day's activities for me had been washing an elderly lady's clothing and cooking for the next day! Exciting stuff. :( Not! So now, I was really feeling sorry for myself. And then I remembered our Lord. I don't know if Scott is a Christian. I do know that he believes in God but I did too before I was a Christian. I remembered that someday I will take a trip that will be infinitely better than any trip that he has taken or anyone for that matter! Seeing our Lord and Savior at last and through eyes that aren't sinful, fully seeing His glory! Well, it will be better than I, or any of us, can imagine. And if I see him or others in heaven when I get there that I have told about the Lord it will add to my joy. My joy will be infinitely immense. Better than any trip here could possibly produce.

I think of Matt's sermon a few Sundays ago and how our Lord gives us the Word of God and then life to apply it to very faithfully each Sunday. He is so good to us. The jealousy that could easily have turned to bitterness was stopped in its tracks as I remembered our Father and His love in sending His beloved Son so that I could be called His beloved child. And that someday I could be with Him FOREVER! His lovingkindness is truly better than life and traveling!