In my last
entry, I promised to expand on the following:
“I pray that your coming year be more than happy, I pray that your year be
connected to the joy of God that only comes from knowing Christ.”
At the time, it was a fragment of a prayer of thanksgiving that I wanted to
share, but I was still trying to sort everything out AND I was excited to share
the publication of my book. A big thank-you, by the way, to all of you who have
purchased the book… in anticipation of the upcoming 2015 Christmas season. LOL!!!
It turns out that the end of 2014 had been particularly trying for our family. Within
the span of a month, we experienced many challenges, including corporate incompetence,
attacks of the flu, an automobile accident, and 4 deaths. None of the dead were
human, but they were all family, nonetheless. Not necessarily in order of their
demise, those we lost were:
- Our
beloved Nana; an intelligent, playful, gentle, and loving black lab who was part of our
family for 15 years; a victim of old age.
- The
100-foot tall pine tree that stood in our front yard for over 40 years; a
victim of borer beetles.
- Our
reliable microwave oven that had served us for 25 years; a mystery death, but not
too surprising after 25 years.
- My
Hyundai Santa Fe SUV; only 8 years old, it died protecting me during a
collision.
With all
those losses, with sickness, and with a host of other setbacks in the family,
one might be tempted to complain, to ask “why me”, or even believe that God
might have withdrawn His blessings and hand of protection. My knowing Christ
has not magically protected me from all trouble or sorrow. Oh, many “know of”
Christ, but those that really “know” Christ exhibit an attitude of gratefulness
that stems from the joy that passes all understanding, the joy of a
relationship with Christ Jesus. So how’s YOUR gratefulness? Do you count your
blessings, or do you only see the trials? Do you even see your blessings, or is
everything always a struggle?
In the course of a month, over the Christmas season, we were hit with nothing
but serious struggles. Where’s the blessing in that? Where’s the joy in that?
The answer is that Jesus gives us a different way of looking at the world. For
those with eyes to see, our lives are covered by blessings. Take another look
at those 4 deaths:
- Nana
blessed us with her unconditional love for far longer than the 10 to 12 years
that black labs usually live.
- Once
they started cutting down the 100-foot tall pine tree, they discovered that the
top 25 feet of the tree was so weakened that a strong wind would have brought
it crashing down on our house and our neighbor’s garage. It was an unexpected
expense to take down the tree, but a blessing that we were spared serious
damage, and possible serious injury.
- The
microwave turned out to have been improperly mounted over the stove, and might
have torn free in an earthquake. Again, a blessing that we discovered it before
serious damage or injury could occur.
- I
was in a collision with my Hyundai Santa Fe SUV. It was a great blessing that
the vehicle did what it was designed to do… crumple into itself to protect the
occupants (in this case, me). Because it did that so well, it was declared a
total loss. There were actually a myriad blessings from that event; not so
obvious at first, but eventually revealed over time.
Certainly, we all have troubles, but the
question is: Are you overwhelmed by troubles, do you struggle to overcome your
troubles alone, or do you move ever forward strengthened by Christ,
obedient
to God, and grateful for God’s
blessings?
So, let me encourage you with my prayer once again:
I pray that your coming year be more than happy, I pray that your year be
connected to the joy of God that only comes from knowing Christ.
Your brother in Christ,
Dave
