Gratefulness

The past few days on base have been wonderful!  Just being with the kids not worrying where I need to be and when with a group is a nice change of pace for me.  I have been struggling recently with why God would bring me here just for a short few months and then back home I go again.  One thing for sure is how grateful I have learned to be.  I have never realized all that he has blessed me with not just materialistically speaking but also the people, community, school, job, and support.  I have sort of always taken for granted that I was born into a very strong Christian family who loved the Lord with fierce devotion and fought for each other when one guy stumbled and fell.  I am so grateful for parents who were and are always there for me even when I don’t realize I was being stubborn and trying to carry on alone God sends someone to intercede on his behalf.  I don’t like that I try to do it on my own but that is how God made me and now I am learning to rely on him and others to guide me thru.  The older they are the more wisdom they have, yes teenagers your mom’s and dad’s are brilliant at knowing just what you need and when you need it.  Trust me I have learned some hard lessons in life by simply thinking I knew what was best instead of trusting my father in Heaven to carry me thru and avoid the hurt I caused myself.  Don’t get me wrong I fight my idols daily and struggle to let God be the center of my life way too often but at the end of the day His praise will be on my lips.  I know he is the only person I need to strive to please but yet I don’t even need to strive I just need to reach up and grab his hand to carry me thru.  It is a constant battle but with him always there I know I am never alone.

I have also been born into a beautiful family of sisters.  With one amazing older sister for me to look up to and have as my role model I sometimes forget that I have 4 beautiful sets of eyes watching me as well.  I try to love them and be a strong example for them but yet I find myself stumbling and causing them to stumble or else making a mistake I made that could have easily been avoided.  Yes I am not always proud of choices I have made and having to answer to my sisters as they they get older and need to make the same choices as I made.  I love them and daily as we are apart treasure who they are and what they mean to me.  I am lucky to have close relationships with each sister in such a different way.  Even being business partners has its challenges but at the end of the day we just never seem to want to go to bed no matter how tired, crabby, and sick of each other we might be.  Someone is normally sneaking into someone else’s room or doing something silly at all hours of the day.  Yes I miss my sister’s like no one can imagine but I am blessed to be the sister to children who need one even if only for a few months.  God has taught me to never take them for granted and to truly love them where they are at with all I have to offer.  I am learning that I can never out give God because he just keeps giving me more. Praise Him with a grateful heart!

"Give Thanks" Give thanks with a grateful heart Give thanks to the Holy One Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son Give thanks with a grateful heart Give thanks to the Holy One Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son And now let the weak say, "I am strong" Let the poor say, "I am rich Because of what the Lord has done for us" And now let the weak say, "I am strong" Let the poor say, "I am rich Because of what the Lord has done for us" Give thanks with a grateful heart Give thanks to the Holy One Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son Give thanks with a grateful heart Give thanks to the Holy One Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son And now let the weak say, "I am strong" Let the poor say, "I am rich Because of what the Lord has done for us" And now let the weak say, "I am strong" Let the poor say, "I am rich Because of what the Lord has done for us" Give thanks We give thanks to You oh Lord We give thanks