Sunday, November 19, 2017

Thanksgiving list (part 2)

Last time, I began sharing some of the things I’m thankful for (I’ve decided to give ten, but this list is just scratching the surface).  Let’s get right back into it.

6. Health/healings

As I was preparing the content for today’s blog, a very noteworthy episode occurred at my work.  I was taking the order of a teenage girl.  Without warning, she seemed to zone out and then she just collapsed.  It was a wonder she didn’t hit her head on the counter as she fell.  Apparently, from everything that I heard, she was about to have a late breakfast (it was 10 in the morning), and she had simply fainted from low blood sugar.  She had no history of anything like that ever happening to her before.  Thankfully, she is all right, but it was a gripping example to me of how fragile health is.  This is a gift that we should never take for granted.

One of the first people to help this girl was the man behind her in line (he was perhaps in his mid to late 40’s).  He was quick to jump in because, I later learned, this man has had his own health challenges.  In fact, he told me that he once had such a bad seizure that he actually fell through a window at his house!  I have to take this opportunity to publicly thank God for His miraculous touch in my life.  I had seizures when I was a baby, but the Lord, quite dramatically and miraculously, healed me from them.

7. Entertainment

We lead such busy lives today.  I’m certainly no exception to that.  So it is a gift to be able to stop and view entertaining programs that help me decompress and unwind from the pressures of life.  I’ve been watching the tenth and final season of the TV show “Smallville” of late.  Overall, it’s a good season.  I want to share this tidbit: in the episode entitled “Homecoming” Clark travels to the future and even meets his future self; a man that is quite experienced with the Superman/Clark Kent duality.  When Clark looks at a newspaper to see the point in time that he traveled to, he discovers that it is October 15th of 2017!  I said to myself, “Wow, last month.”  It was a trivial detail, but it amused me.
 
8. The message of the gospel

I love the song titled “The Gospel” by Ryan Stephenson.  At one point in the song, he states, “In a world where our hearts are breaking and we’re lost in the mess we’ve made; like a blinding light in the dead of night, it’s the gospel…that makes a way.  It’s the cure for our condition, it’s the good news for us all; it’s greater than religion, it’s the power of the cross.”
 
There is so much powerful truth in that.  I could write multiple blogs on that little excerpt alone.  Later on in the song (and I’m paraphrasing him here), he focuses on how the gospel transformed him.  He shares how the good news of the gospel gave him the glorious opportunity to have his sins forgiven and the chance to begin a relationship with the God of the universe.  I say the same thing for myself.  There is simply no greater gift in life than this.

9. My job

I am grateful for the gift of my job at Chick-fil-A.  God has blessed me with favor among the people there.  It can be hectic, but that’s not really a bad thing.  Did you know that work is regarded very highly in the Bible?  There’s actually a passage in 2 Thessalonians where we are told to respect those who work hard; “hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work” (5:12-13).

10. You, the reader!

Several years ago, I had the chance to see the show “Cats”.  After the show, the performers thanked the audience for choosing to see the play.  “We love performing this show,” the actor said.  “But it wouldn’t be nearly as enjoyable to do if we didn’t have an audience.”  Similarly, I love to write; I love to compose these blog installments.  In fact, I wish I could submit more blogs than I do.  But if nobody ever read it, if there wasn’t an audience, so to speak, what’s the point?  But I’m so grateful to know that these words are read.  You take the time to read my thoughts.  To consider this fact honors and humbles me.  So, in conclusion, I want to say thank you.  Thank you so much!

Kevin

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