Like Lizardbreath, I have been reading the book Respectable Sins by Jerry Bridges. Studying it actually....I don't recommend it if you don't want to be convicted of those sins that society says are not sin at all and we have convinced ourselves are not really that bad. And I have not been as diligent with my study as I usually am due to less time with eturning to work. But this morning, for the first time in a long time, I did not have to be somewhere. Thor was preaching a funeral, our boarders are in OKC for Fall Break (except Bro. Mike, he hurt his leg yesterday playing paintball and has been hold up in his room all day...or perhaps he is just enjoying the not having to do something as well), anyway, I took this opportunity and quiet to catch up on my reading and study.
Among other things, one of the things with which I was confronted this morning is my lack of thankfulness. Today, this hit home really hard. You see as I began to reflect on what I had read and while doing some soul searching I thought about yesterday.
Yesterday my day started with a call from someone with crisis in the family. The call was for prayer and counsel. After an hour or so on the phone (pretty tricky getting ready and driving to work) I prayed that the Lord would give them wisdom and guidance in this time of crisis and decision. At noon I had lunch with a friend who is in crisis with her family. I could feel her pain and sorrow through her words and see the tears shining in her eyes. She just needed someone to listen and know that I would pray for her. After work I went to the hospitol to see my little niece who has Cystic Fibrosis. Maesa is three, the same age as the Warrior, but not expected to live past the age of nine due to her illness. My sister-in-law was there, but Seaweed was not. He had been to the VA hospitol in Muskogee the day before because of pain in his hip, leg and foot. By the time they finished with the exam they were not as concerned about the hip, leg and foot as they were the blood in his urine. Perhaps bladder infection or kidney infection or stones.
And I could probably go on, but the point is this. In my study today he talked about the 10 leapors who had been healed, but only one of them returned to thank the Lord for his healing. Unthankfulness is an afront to God. After all He gives us each breath we take, made us everything that we are, and provides for us everything we have. We should be thankful to him. Not only that, but we are to be thankful for the things in our lives that do not turn out the way we want. These things He has allowed to sanctify us and improve our character...to make us more Christlike.
As I continued to think about each of the circumstances in the lives of all of these people I have often said, people go to a lot of trouble to get their lives in the mess they are in....but the reality of it is this.....But for the grace of God....it could be me. I truly never want to forget that.
All that I am and all that I have is a wonderful gift from God. So...
Thank you God for the family you gave me. Parents who taught me of your love and showed me through example how to serve and honor you with my life. Thank you for siblings that love me and a wonderful relationship with them and their families.
Thank You for the husband that You gave me. For his love and service to you. Thank you that he loves me and provides well for me. Thank you that he treats me like a lady, tells me he loves me, tells me how pretty I am, and would die for me if necessary.
Thank you for in-laws that reared my husband and taught him about You and showed through example how to love and serve You. Thank you for teaching him how to be a man and love his family. Thank you that they consider me their daughter as if I were their own.
Thank you for his siblings that love us and give us love and respect. Thank you for those who are saved and serve you. And I pray that you would save those who do not.
Thank you for my children. Lord, they are a blessing to me and my life. They both love the Lord with all their heart and serve Him faithfully.
Thank you for my children's spouses. Thank you that they love You and serve you. Thank you for the relationship I have with them. I love them as if they were my own.
Thank you for six beautiful and healthy grandchildren. Thank you that at least three of them have already displayed an interest in "knowing" You. I pray Lord that "ALL" of my grandchildren will one day be revealed as members of Your family and serve you faithfully and consistently.
Thank you Lord even for my two little dogs, Sophie and Sadie as well as my granddogs, Maya and Roxie. They give us so much pleasure and display unconditional love to us all the time.
Thank You for the home you have provided, the cars you have provided, and the jobs you have provided. Help me always to be a good steward of these many and wonderous gifts You have given me. And thank You Lord for good health for Thor and myself. Help us to be content with what you have given us.
You are so very good to us Lord. You have been so good to us. So faithful to us, even when we are not to You. Forgive me Lord for the sin of unthankfulness, for I have much for which to be thankful. I am not deserving and yet you give to show Your love for me. Thank You Lord!
And Lord, for those things that are not what I want....
For the family in crisis that is in danger of being torn apart because of sin in their lives. That have put the futures of their children in jeopardy...Lord, I pray that you would save them. Help them to realize their need for You. And Lord whatever Your will is for their lives, I pray that You would give clear guidance and wisdom. Protect the children Lord and save them to serve and honor you. Whatever our part is to be in this situation Lord, help us to do what is right and pleasing to You.
For my friend Lord, I pray that you would give her comfort. Lord lift up her head. I know that she loves and serves you Lord, but right now she needs reassurance. Lord, help her children realize the hurt they are causing their parents. If they are lost Lord, save them. Be with the grandchildren Lord, protect them from harm and save them to serve You.
For Seaweed I pray for healing. I pray that his condition reveals something minor and short term.
And for Maesa Lord, heal her little body, that is my selfish prayer. When I look at those
big brown eyes and brown curly hair, that smile that lights up a room....it is difficult to think about and even harder to realize that she is as ill as she is. She seems to be a typical little three-year old girl who laughs, plays with baby dolls, and likes to have her hair put up in dog-ears. Oh Lord, intervene and heal this little girl I pray. But Lord, if it is not Your will to do so, I pray that you would prepare each of us for the days ahead and enjoy her while she is with us.
And Lord, while I miss my family terribly right now. Thank you that I have a family to miss. And thank you for cell phones and computers that help us to keep in touch when we cannot be there in person.
I love and miss you all.....and I am thankful for all of you.
Thank you God!
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
CHA-CHING!
For those of you who are too young to remember....this is all Doogie Houser's fault...all this blogging! Doogie Houser was young doctor, just a boy really. He graduated from High School at too young an age and then attended medical school graduating at the top of his class. But genius had nothing to do with how he related to the world socially so he suffered the same things that "normal" teenagers did. He would come home from his work at the hospitol and put his words to computer keys and keep track of his daily thoughts and happenings much like most teenagers did in diaries or journals. So...here we are.
I have been contemplating this blog thing for awhile, but just today finally decided to make it a reality.
Much of life is changing right now, so why not try some new things along with all the other changes.
I don't really like change very much. They say that becomes more common the older you get, and I suppose it is true. I like routine, status quo, the way things used to be. And yet, one of my favorite quotes is, "If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got!" That means if you don't want what you always got....you have to change!
So, change we do. Right now, Thor, the love of my life, is going through change on his job. What he is doing he has done before, but not for almost a decade. At first, when he told me he felt like an old dinosaur and would have to learn "how to" all over again I thought he was being silly. Until I was interviewing for jobs after 16 years and had to learn "how to" all over again. He was not being silly at all. He was being honest. There is a great deal of difference in approaching a task when you are fresh out of college and ready to take on the world idealistically and doing so when you are aware of reality. But...I am happy to say, Thor has come through with flying colors, as I knew he would, and doing a great job...at his "new" old job!
Our son, the Bohemian, has just taken a new job assignment in a new town. He has been struggling with living without his family until they can sell their house or at least rent it and move to his new location with him. It has been difficult and is getting really tiresome after five months. But, there does seem to be some parting of the clouds. The Bohemian, the Busy Bee, Mr. Golden Curls, and the Lil' Spitfire are all looking forward to the one change that will bring them all under one roof!
Our daughter, Lizardbreath, and her husband, the Rock have just returned home after being gone for nearly a month attending a business convention in Nevada and visiting Thor and I in Oklahoma. Today they are having a Princess Birthday Party for The Princess. She will be six on Tuesday! That does not seem possible. And yet another change is occuring....we are not able to be there! This is the first birthday we have missed for any of our 6 grandchildren....and I hope it will be the last. But gas prices and the fact that I will be leaving for Colorado with Tickle Sister on Tuesday made the trip impractical, especially since they were just here last week. But, we called her today and the Princess said it was alright, she got the present we sent her.
Well, time for another change. I must leave this computer and go keep Thor company....I know he is just waiting for me to add conversation and comments to his television viewing pleasure.....What?!
I have been contemplating this blog thing for awhile, but just today finally decided to make it a reality.
Much of life is changing right now, so why not try some new things along with all the other changes.
I don't really like change very much. They say that becomes more common the older you get, and I suppose it is true. I like routine, status quo, the way things used to be. And yet, one of my favorite quotes is, "If you always do what you always did, you will always get what you always got!" That means if you don't want what you always got....you have to change!
So, change we do. Right now, Thor, the love of my life, is going through change on his job. What he is doing he has done before, but not for almost a decade. At first, when he told me he felt like an old dinosaur and would have to learn "how to" all over again I thought he was being silly. Until I was interviewing for jobs after 16 years and had to learn "how to" all over again. He was not being silly at all. He was being honest. There is a great deal of difference in approaching a task when you are fresh out of college and ready to take on the world idealistically and doing so when you are aware of reality. But...I am happy to say, Thor has come through with flying colors, as I knew he would, and doing a great job...at his "new" old job!
Our son, the Bohemian, has just taken a new job assignment in a new town. He has been struggling with living without his family until they can sell their house or at least rent it and move to his new location with him. It has been difficult and is getting really tiresome after five months. But, there does seem to be some parting of the clouds. The Bohemian, the Busy Bee, Mr. Golden Curls, and the Lil' Spitfire are all looking forward to the one change that will bring them all under one roof!
Our daughter, Lizardbreath, and her husband, the Rock have just returned home after being gone for nearly a month attending a business convention in Nevada and visiting Thor and I in Oklahoma. Today they are having a Princess Birthday Party for The Princess. She will be six on Tuesday! That does not seem possible. And yet another change is occuring....we are not able to be there! This is the first birthday we have missed for any of our 6 grandchildren....and I hope it will be the last. But gas prices and the fact that I will be leaving for Colorado with Tickle Sister on Tuesday made the trip impractical, especially since they were just here last week. But, we called her today and the Princess said it was alright, she got the present we sent her.
Well, time for another change. I must leave this computer and go keep Thor company....I know he is just waiting for me to add conversation and comments to his television viewing pleasure.....What?!
1 comment:
I'm going to have to read this book. Both you and Sarah are saying good things about it. I'm just not sure I want to be so convicted :)
Post a Comment