Wonder and Thanksgiving

This week I reached a magnificent and some of my friends and past acquaintances might say miraculous milestone. Anyway, reaching the "double nickels" is for me noteworthy and an occasion to take look at from whence I have come and to whom I belong.  I am in that point in life where I am witness to the wonder of God's blessings.

First my son married a wonderful and beautiful young lady, they both graduated from the Lutheran Seminary and he is in the call process and may be serving soon in a North Carolina Church. 

My daughter is a successful, licensed color stylist in a wonderful salon in the trendy district of West Columbia along the river.  And, she is nurturing a new life within her womb that in December will become our first Granddaughter.  

My beautiful spouse is a second career Lutheran Pastor in a wonderful, loving congregation here in Lexington, South Carolina. 

These are but a few of the many things I am eternally thankful for and could never, ever be deserving of receiving on my own merits.  I tell you these things to say that when starting out on our life's journey, we really have no clue where we will wind up and in what condition we will be in. I could never have imagined that I would have such a wonderful, loving and precious family and so many loving brothers and sisters in Christ.

So one might say why did God choose me to have a loving family and others to not.  Or why is my health better than my neighbor or why is there so much poverty and hunger.  I do not know, and I am indeed humbled by all of these things.  I know that I alone cannot change the world's circumstances, and I alone cannot change the course of government decisions regarding policies that  affect people one way or the other.  But I know that question can gnaw at one's very core.   So what does one do?

Well for me, the first thing is to not act out of guilt or to allow oneself to become paralyzed or depressed by the guilt.  To come to the understanding that that we can make a difference with the help of God, is the first step.  Spreading God's love to each and every person we meet each and every day, one day at a time, even if it is only a smile and a graceful hello and to say that God loves you is to make that difference each and every day.

This journey is hard and thankfully we are not alone, we have each other.  When we gather in bible studies, small groups, and prayer meetings I gain strength and perspective from the experiences of others.  These insights help me to piece together a picture of what life looks like one person at a time, and it does form a picture of life, of a life God calls us into, the Body of Christ which is The Church.  

It is through the church that my life was and is formed, and how I have come to appreciate life itself and the gifts I have received and the gifts I have to give to others for others.

So  look back, and look ahead,  and look around we are surrounded by God's Beautiful Baptised People and together we have each other's back, and  God is always with us!