 |
| www.flickr.com |
“When Jesus spoke
again to the people,
he said ‘I am the
Light of the World.
Whoever follows me
will never walk in darkness.
But have the light of
life.’” John 8:12 (NIV)
Jesus
speaks for himself here. He tells us that He will lead us through times that
may seem dark but we can trust Him to lead the way.
When we
come to Christ, we may have had the idea that we will no longer have
problematic times. We are not exempted from having times of stress, doubt,
interpersonal differences, illness, or financial strains. But God sent His son to show us how to
navigate through those difficult times.
Jesus
uses His Father’s Word to illuminate our way as we traverse the rocky roads of
this world. He also brings people who can help us across our paths, as we face
uncertain times.
As God
leads us through uncertain times, He blesses His children in many ways. In my
quest to record His gifts to me this year, I have logged 954 gifts , thus far, that
I praise God for. On a recent Sunday, I saw two teen girls exit the church
building as I approached. They were on their way to Sunday school in the other
building. I recognized the dark headed one and mentally made a note that she
was at church. I had some things to get to one of our church secretaries for
her daughter and for a Christmas party they plan. I walked past a couch where
the one girl’s mother was sitting; still not realizing this family was in town
from the southern part of the state. It was only during the service when I saw,
the young girl’s half-brother walk to the back of the sanctuary did things
begin to click. I was blessed to see this entire family visit us. They moved
away right at Easter.
After service, I got to hug each of the children-one girl
and three boys. Each of these children acted happy to be with us that day. This
was a major blessing to me.
Here I am to worship.
Here I am to worship.
Hi Cecelia! It must be an amazing thing to look over all those gifts...and in such a short time too! God is always with us, always gifting us. How often do I really take note of his presence and presents? Not enough, I can tell you that.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you got a chance to hug that family. I bet you were their blessing that day!
Happy Monday,
Ceil
Ceil: Thank you for your kind thoughts. I start out on January 1st and try to record three things each day. Lately, I have been skipping a day but, miracle of miracles, I have at least six the next time I record them.Yes, they were, I was blessed to see them and to be greeted warmly by them.
DeleteSo happy that you have taken the time to record God's special gifts to you this past year. That is a wonderful way to truly count your blessings. I need to practice that more. It truly does help. Thank you for this reminder.
ReplyDeletePam: Thank you for your kind thoughts. It makes me think of the good things of each day and how much God does love me. Some of those gifts are small things. Others are big items. God works in all areas of our lives.
DeleteI am thankful that He leads and guides us each step of the way. How wonderful it is to know this. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteKaren Thank you for stopping in. I echo your praise. My week is busy but part of that is due to it being the season. Doctor appt. tomorrow (Wed), Hair and nail appt. Thursday. Helping at a Chistmas party for foster children on Friday night. Getting some shopping done and wrapping a few gifts when I can. Blessings to you and yours.
DeleteWow, that is a good idea... making a record of the gifts from God!
ReplyDeleteMarja; I had done this with praises for a couple of years and got out of the habit. When I read Ann Voskamp's book "1,000 Gifts" she shared that a friend suggested she do it. As of today, I have 972. If you hven't read her book, I suggest it to you.
DeleteI think once we go to God with our troubles, He points us in the right direction. If God brings us to it, He'll lead us through it.
ReplyDeleteElsie, Thank you for your warm observation. This is a very special though you shared with us. Blessings of joy to you and yours.
DeleteGood for you, that you are recording God's provisions for you. This is a fabulous way to keep a joyful heart!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jeanette. I have found it keeps me from bouts of depression. It also helps me be aware of God's action in my life. Blessings on you and yours.
Delete