Thankful

A week-and-a-half ago, I fell in the shower, bracing myself with my left hand.  I got up, thought, “Wow, I’m glad I didn’t hurt myself,” and went on about my day and night.  The next day I started feeling the effects of the fall, and began tossing and turning at night in pain instead of sleeping.  By the weekend, I was in severe pain.  Two ER visits, two shots, and three prescriptions later, I began getting some relief.  Thankfully, nothing was broken - just a lot of internal swelling & pressure on nerves.

Fast forward to today.  I’m getting angry because this could’ve happened at a better time.  Our son is getting married in 5 weeks, it’s both year-end close and the start of a new semester at the community college where I work, Mark’s just gone into business for himself, a few other irons are in the fire, and I JUST DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!

Then it hit me.  Why am I angry, instead of being thankful for what I do have?  There are people who have completely lost arms and legs, yet have overcome, with shining enthusiasm and thankfulness.

Today, I repent of my negative attitude.  I am thankful for the trials that only serve to make me stronger, and thankful for the blessings that make life sweeter!

Peace,

Davina

Who's the Favorite?

Yesterday, we attended a family reunion in the small resort community of Hilltop Lakes, Texas.  We had such an amazingly great time with some awesome people to whom we’re privileged to be related – not only naturally but also spiritually.  Not every family has that claim.  We have much for which we are thankful.  But that isn’t even really my point today.

My sister, Diane, and me, discussing who's the favorite.

There was quite a bit of laughing and teasing about favorites.  The favorite daughter-in-law, the favorite niece, the favorite sister … each one of us wants to feel, to believe, that he or she IS the favorite.  (By the way, we all know that I’M the favorite!)  Seriously, though, we each DO have that claim in the family of God.  How?  God is big enough, He IS LOVE enough, to love each one of us in a very special and unique way, without detracting anything from any of the rest of us.

Read the Gospel According to St. John.  Many times in the book, the writer speaks of the “one whom Jesus loved.”  Who was this disciple?  John.  Who wrote the book?  John.  Either he was very stuck on himself, or he understood something that we need to grasp.  I believe the latter to be true.  It was this John who wrote, “For God SO LOVED the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that WHOSOEVER believes in him, would not perish, but have eternal life (Jn. 3:16).  John knew.

Consider Adam.  He not only sinned, he caused the fall of the whole human race.  But God still liked him so much that He went looking for Adam when it was time for their evening walk!  (There's a whole separate message in this about the whole sin-separating-us-from-God thing, but we can talk about that another day.)

And finally, what about Paul?  Before his conversion, when he was a fire-breathing, Christian-killing, Jesus-hating machine, God loved him.

Whatever your story, know this.  There is NOTHING that can separate you from the love of God.  He loves you.  He gave His son for your COMPLETE salvation.  You are favored.  You are irreplaceable.  You are indispensable.  You are unique.  You are loved.

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38,39 NASB).

Peace,

Davina