Gratitude

God is really good.

I so rarely spend time reflecting on all the amazing blessings he has brought into my life. This is a brief blog to mention a few.

First, he blessed me with an amazing family. Sure, we have a lot of flaws, but fundamentally I have parents that love me, are godly, and have done their best to cherish me and raise me in a biblical way.

Second, he blessed me with an amazing wife. She is the most patient person I know, and she cares deeply about others. She also has a deep love for God that blows me away. And, although it is a bit shallow of me, she is also beautiful. When I think about the girls in my past that I was enamored with I realize again and again that God definitely knew what was best for me. I am totally undeserving of her.

Third, he has provided for me even in the most difficult of times. When I was a grad student, on many occasions we would make our budget each month against all odds and reason. Further, I have been unemployed for 2 weeks now, but he has been bringing in money to support us.

Fourth, he has blessed me with an amazing church to call a family. The people there love God, love community, love his truth, and love people. And for some reason, despite my failures and inadequacies, they keep asking me to be involved in ministries. I've grown so much in the last few years and have learned so much about God and what it means to minister to others.

Fifth, he has blessed me with safety. There have been a number of situations in my life where I was in danger, but he always brought me through it. We live in a world full of hatred, injustice, and natural disasters. We also live in a neighborhood that has a decent amount of crime, but he continues to keep us safe.

I could list a lot of other things, like being able to have a few really sweet toys, or being blessed with an education that lets me study his Word, or being able to enjoy music and art, or simply being able to eat food that I enjoy.

The real question is, how should I respond? Gratitude yes, but I think more. I think that because he has given so much, the very least I could do is respond by living a life that is pleasing to him. That is not why he blesses me, but I think it is the appropriate response. It is part of living in relationship with him.

I think also that my love for him shouldn't be contingent on these blessings. Sometimes God takes away his blessings for us to grow in our trust of him. I'm afraid I do not know how I would respond to that. I talked to somebody today who is loosing his home, his family has gone through multiple crises over the last several months, and his wife just lost a job. I do not know how I could handle that. I've felt some sense of loss in my struggle to find a job, but that hardly compares. Its easy to love God and be thankful when he gives, but how will I respond when he doesn't? Only time will tell, but I do know this: God is faithful. He will continue to carry me along and provide for needs. When he brings difficulty, he will sustain me as long as I hold on to him and trust him. That is what faith is: trusting God through difficult times. Holding on because you know that he is the only way.