AWAITING NEW PROMISES

I was almost horrified this morning when while talking to a dear friend, I realized that tomorrow is September 1st.
Not that September 1 is a bad day, it is just that it crept up on me without even thinking about what that day signifies for me.

Twenty years ago ( or maybe it was 19 and this will be my 20th year), the pastor of the church we attended, informed us that he prays a particular verse for each of his family members.
I was so impressed with this idea, that I began searching for a verse for each different family member. I believe he told us about this endeavor the first weekend in September.

So now for the 20th time, I will begin to look for verses for our family members. When I started it was just the six of us. Now with spouses for each child and three adorable grandsons, I will be finding 13 different verses for each member of my immediate family.

I can almost guarantee you that it will take me the entire month to find them; unless by some "miracle", the LORD gives me these verses more quickly.
Truly it is an amazing time searching through the Bible looking, wondering, deciding (with the Holy Spirit's guidance) which verse is for which person. This allows me to see Scripture in a whole new light as I get to review verses from the past that have ministered to me when I deeply needed them, see verses that I had chosen for family members at different times in their lives, and be grateful again that the Word of God is still so relevant for today.


I often have wondered why the LORD would lead me to a specific verse for someone, but have believed that this indeed was THE right verse, even when I didn't understand; only to be amazed and grateful as the year went on and the reason was made clear.  

This year will be the 20th year I have prayed verses for my family; specific verses for each particular member. It has been an honor and a joy to do this. It has helped me memorize Scripture; although I must admit that I can't always tell you where it came from (book and verse), I do remember the actual words of the verse.

Yes, I was taken aback this morning that today was the last day of August. On the other hand, I am totally excited and looking forward to the month of September ( I always love this month because it is my birthday month!) because I am awaiting the new promises God will give me to pray for my family members.

When my kids were in school, they always started in September, that doesn't happen much these days, when so many schools begin in August, which is why I always pick my verses in September. It was the beginning of a new school year and a perfect time for me to reflect on challenges they might face, milestones that could occur, and wait for God to reveal His particular word, for each of those that I love the most in this world.

It is a beautiful thing to see how God works through the years. It is an even more splendid thing to see God work in the lives of your family and watch them become who He has envisioned them to be.

My encouragement for you today is to find verses for your family. It may take awhile. You may not be able to do it now for the season of life you are in. But if you can do this, not only will your family be blessed, you will be blessed as you watch God's Word come alive.

A  very special thank you to Dave Sawkins for this wonderful idea!!

Enjoying what we have

The book of Ecclesiastes was penned by Solomon, considered to be the wisest man that has ever lived. In this short 12 chapter book, Solomon tries to figure out what is the meaning of life.
So many of his sentences resonate deeply in my soul.
Skipping ahead to chapter 6, Solomon writes:
     "Enjoy what you have rather than desiring what you don't have."

This sentence has been mulling around in my mind for days now.
Do we enjoy what we have? Do we count the blessings we are given? Or are we so consumed with getting what is next?

I have been surprised at my lack of ungratefulness; actually I am quite ashamed by it.
The past year of my life has been inundated by "surprises" but also by undeserved gifts. 
Having battled cancer and come thru, I am very aware of the beauty of the gift of life. How precious it is to be alive. How unfortunate it is that we only seem to recognize that fact when our health, or someone we love's health, is in jeopardy. How many of us take our health for granted? We need to celebrate and enjoy our lives.

This year also brought the loss of someone I love very dearly. Robby was one who embraced life and embraced relationships. He was the type of person who everyone enjoyed being with. Robby had so many different types of friends and each person always felt loved and cared for by him. So this week, I have questioned if I enjoy the relationships I have like Robby did. Do we treasure those times we have with others? Do we seek out to be-friend others and enjoy people that we are with? 

Living in the United States has its advantages and disadvantages.
We are a culture consumed by materialism. We want what others have. We covet and are miserable until we get the latest desire of our hearts. We believe we are "entitled" to whatever it is we wish to have. We have feelings of discontent that we don't have someone else's possessions or status or success.

Why is it we want what others have and yet do not enjoy what we do? Why do we dwell on what we desire instead of relishing what we do have? This is why Solomon often writes that life is meaningless. We have, we crave and covet and then we don't appreciate what the blessings we have been given.

Ann Voskamp's book, A Thousand Gifts, encourages us to take note of the simple, small pleasures everyday, and to be grateful. I have been trying to put this into practice since I read this book a year and a half ago. When we have thankful, grateful hearts, we tend to see life with a more positive outlook.
Even in the midst of trying, painful circumstances, we can be thankful. Yes, I know this can be hard, but it can be done. When I received the news that I had a rare type of cancer, I was scared, but I also knew that my life was in the hands of a God who loved me. I was thankful that I knew HE was in control, because my life appeared to be totally out of my control. I became thankful for the gift of life like I never had before. Even today, when I wake up daily with a sore neck, I am reminded that I am alive and I am grateful.
I am become increasingly aware of all the things I am thankful for, and am striving to enjoy what I do have.
If you were to take 5 minutes and write down all the things you were thankful and appreciative of, I am sure you would be amazed at how many things will pop into your mind. I did this recently and was so surprised how many things my mind came up with in that short time. Besides the "normal" things like my health , my family, my dear friends, a calling that I am compelled to do, I wrote down things like the beach, my dogs, experiencing 4 seasons, the beauty where I live, my college friends, butterflies, clouds ( a new obsession since living at Woodleaf), sunsets, weddings , my children's friends, books, music and so many more.
If I (and you) could enjoy just the little things we experience daily, we would be more apt to appreciate the tremendous gifts we have been given.

Desiring what we don't have causes covetness, jealousy and embitters us. It just isn't worth it. This week in a devotional book  I am reading with one of our summer interns,  by a pastor named Tony Evans, I read :

     "One of the great tragedies today is we don't have enough Christians who know how to give thanks for what they already have."
Taken from "Get Serious"

I couldn't agree with him more. May we be those who enjoy what we have been given.

SIX MONTHS LATER

Six months have passed.
Six months now since I had two surgeries within six days for Medullary Thyroid Cancer.
Six months to heal, to begin again.
Six months to contemplate the gift of life, the fraility of life.
Six months to be grateful to be alive.
Six months to appreciate things I had taken for granted.
Six more months with my family.
Six more months with my friends.
Six months to keep on going.
Six months to know God's presence in ways I had not known before.
Six months to experience the kindnesses and thoughtfulness of so many people.
Six months to really love others.
Six grateful months.

I have realized again how precious life is. Especially since there have been "home goings" of some dear loved ones.
Home goings is my new word for when someone dies.
Death is so final, gives no hope.
But home going means I will see them again. On the other side of life on earth.

I've had ups and downs these past six months, but I am grateful for the opportunity to keep living; for as long as God allows.
And the main thing I have learned in these past six months is : I don't want to waste whatever time I have left on this earth. 
I want to make a difference in lives. 
I want to be used by God for His purposes.
I want to remember daily that life is not about me, but about Him.
I want to share the love, the hope, the grace of God with whoever I encounter.
I want to serve Him with reckless abandon.
I want to love like Jesus.

I am so appreciative of these past six months and more than grateful to be alive.

WHAT IS YOUR ONE THING?

Have you ever wanted something so bad that you would do almost anything to get it?
Apart from being a criminal I mean.
Maybe when you were younger, you wanted a certain toy, that you just HAD to have. Was it a bike? A doll that everyone else had (ie. you know a certain Barbie or an American Girl doll), or maybe it was one of the Transformers. Quite possibly it could have been a certain game for your Xbox or Nintendo or Wii. Or if you were lucky enough to have your won DS, one of those games.
The reasons that we could not live without it were given to our parents and depending on finances, our willingness to obey them, or even their mood, would determine if we would get it or not.
But if it was around Christmas time, usually our odds increased as to whether we got it or not.

Most likely the year I would have gotten "worst parent award" was the Christmas season that we decided not to get Nintendo for our kids because we thought it would take too much time away from them "being kids". Also, to be honest, it was rather expensive and I was afraid they would notice they didn't have more gifts. Thanks be to our good friend Darrell, who was single and without nephews of his own at the time, he dropped by on Christmas Eve with a Nintendo wrapped. Not only did they get the Nintendo they wanted, but also the presents we had bought them. It would probably rank as one of their all time favorite Christmas' of childhood. 

What about as we get older?
We want a boyfriend or a girlfriend.
We want friends.
We want to be accepted and liked (that is something that is in each of us, and will never change-no matter what one might say to the contrary).
We want to get into that one specific school.
And then we graduate, and we look for that one job, that will interest us, challenge us, and motivate us to want for more.
We want a spouse and that house with the white picket fence. (do those even exist anymore?).
We want children.
Sometimes we get children way too easily-ask the pregnant teen about that.
Sometimes we don't get children. Our dreams of having a child have been obliterated by infertility. 
We begin to think about adoption and the exorbitant costs restrain us.
Why is it some people get what we so desperately want and we don't?
The age old questions pop into our minds. We are bombarded with thoughts of "this just isn't fair". No one said it was.
No one said life was fair.
Life is an adventure. We don't know where we are going all the time, but we keep at it; striving to make our unknown destination-even if we are so uncertain to where that might be.

What if- God asked you to go somewhere. 
You had no idea where He was asking you to go, but you chose to go with Him.
This is what occurred in the life of Abraham. 
God asked him to leave all that was familiar and go to a new land that He would show him.
Abraham went without question. Or so we are led to assume from the account in Genesis. He took his wife, his servants, his livestock and all his possessions and set out for what was later to be named Canaan.
Once in Canaan he had series of adventures with the people that already resided there.
One day God visited him in the form of three men (possibly a reference to the Trinity) and told him that he and his wife Sarah would have a baby this time next year. It was almost unbelievable as Abe was almost 100, and Sarah was approaching 90. (Mind you if this were to happen to me today-I would PANIC. Way too old to have a baby, to keep up with all the demands of raising children).
This was even laughable-which is exactly what Sarah did.
But sure enough, one year later, Sarah gave birth to a little boy named Isaac (his name means, he laughs).
This heir, his real heir was the joy, the delight of his father's life. It was THE ONE THING that Abraham really wanted. And God gave him the desires of both he and Sarah's heart.
Some years later, probably when Isaac was around 12 or 13 years of age, God asked Abraham to take his son to a specific mountain, and there to sacrifice his son as a burnt offering.
The Bible tells us that "early the next morning Abraham set out...".
Can you imagine what his night was like? 
I believe he must have tossed and turned all night, wrestling with the constant thought of " why is God asking me to do this?". And yet Abraham went. We are told it was a 3 day trip to the mountain of Moriah. I have to think that each hour his heart weighed heavier.
When it was time to climb the mountain, he took his young son up.
Isaac, being an aware type of kid, wondered where the sacrifice was that they would burn as an offering to the LORD. And Abraham's response is "that God would provide".
What faith, what trust. 
I guess that there was a few doubts as well.

But at the moment, Abraham was going to kill his precious son, God told him to stop. That there was a ram in the thickets, that should be the sacrifice. God did provide the alternative sacrifice.
The LORD was testing Abraham's obedience.
UNBELIEVABLE.
I pray He never tests my obedience like that. 
I wonder if I would obey like Abe.
Oh how I want to be like Abraham. I want to obey God in all things. To be honest, I know that I don't. But it is my desire.

God asked Abraham to give Him the MOST important thing in his life. What would you do if He asked you to give up your long awaited dream?
Would you kick and scream? 
Or would you obey and trust?

I'm not sure at this point in my life what is most important to me.
In years past, it would be my family and my friends. 
It might have been being in ministry.
For you, it might be the idea of being married.
Or having the child you dreamed of.
It might be that you would be healthy.

The point to this story is two-fold.
Abraham was ready to offer his son as a sacrifice to God. And God actually did offer His Only Son as a sacrifice for us. The significance of there being a "ram" in the thicket to be used as a substitute, and Christ, being the spotless Lamb of God is not lost on me. Jesus Christ was our substiute. He Paid the price for all the wrong things we have ever done.
The other point to be made is that God desires our obedience. No matter what He might ask of us. Even if it means moving far away or not even that far (like Woodleaf). Even if it means giving up the job we had wanted for so long-so that He could use us somewhere else. Perhaps God might ask you to remain single; or to remain childless.
We often do not understand the ways of God.
We are baffled by what He allows to transpire.
What He wants most is for us to make Him the top billing in our lives and that often requires obedience of the very thing we do not want to do. 
What happened to Abraham when he chose to obey God?

Genesis 22: 16-17 from the New Living Translation says:
"This is what the LORD says: Because you have obeyed me and not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that I will certainly bless you."

Obedience brings blessings. Not material ones, but ones that draw us closer to God. Blessings that make us stop and be grateful for all that the Lord has done for us.
I pray that I will be obedient, even if it means giving up something I so desperately want.

An INCREDIBLE week......of joy, laughter and blessings.

An epic week.
Its hard to even comprehend how blessed I feel.

A week ago Friday, I flew to Texas to meet Scud in Houston. We drove to Bryan-College Station to visit with some of his college buddies. It was wonderful to re-connect with some of his friends, and meet some new ones. These guys were in a bible study all four years at Texas A&M. And I get to be friends with their wives! 
On Saturday, we went to the AGGIES football game where we got to watch Johnny Manziel play most likely his last college game at Kyle Field. That kid has an incredible arm and he knows the game. (Now if he could just grow up!!). 

It was an amazing visit, and a bit too short.
We left Sunday around noon and after a short hour drive, we met up with Harry and Audrey Slye. Harry was Scud's YL campaigner leader and had more of an influence on my sweet husband than probably any other person has or ever will. What an incredible blessing we have had knowing and being loved by this godly couple.

From there we spent the night and had a quick but great visit with Scud's sister and her family in the Woodlands.
Monday morning Scud dropped me off at the airport and he headed to Tyler to visit his sweet mom for a couple of days.
I landed in New Orleans and quickly met my new friend Barb, arriving from Berlin, Germany to attend the Young Life College Summit. Due to travel times and when the conference was to start, we both had to arrive a day early-which turned out to be the most wonderful opportunity to discover the French Quarter in this city.
The jammed packed summit was indeed what every Young Life College staff person needed: some great input of ideas, inspiring teaching and a phenomenal story by a gracious woman who was the victim of rape and has used it for good. Not to mention the incredible fun that we had. Our first full summit evening, we had dinner and then were led on a "Second Line Parade".
Second Line Parades are a common occurance in NOLA, but not many of us had ever heard of one. Initially they were parades that led a funeral procession through the streets with a brass band leading the parade. Eventually, these parades became common scenes at weddings.
Well, imagine 200 YL College staff folk, running after the brass band that led us, singing and hollering all for JESUS, through Bourbon Street-perhaps one of the darkest streets in our country. Usually people surround this street to drink way too much, to indulge in things they never would have anywhere else, and here we were having the time of our lives running through the neighborhoods celebrating Jesus. People lined the streets to look at us. I wish I had a picture to show you, but I was too too busy having fun to stop for a picture. I'm not sure I will ever have that experience again, but it was something I will never forget.
I got the full dining experience in New Orleans: from amazing Cafe Au Lait and beignets at the famous Cafe du Monde, to tasty shrimp Po boy sandwich, to seafood gumbo and jumbalaya, and even a Hurricane at Pat O'Brian's.
And one of the highlights of NOLA was a visit with my niece and nephew, who are in their second year of pediatric residency, and second year of med school at Tulane. It had been way too long since I last saw Gabriella or Miles.

I returned home late Thursday night and Friday began a full day and a half preparations to stage a surprise (to just her) engagement party to our son Todd, and his new fiancee, Katy!!!
Todd knew EXACTLY how he wanted this day to go and planned many details. He flew Katie and Nate down from Seattle and his two college roomies and best friends, Dave and Macha drove from LA with their families to join the celebration.
Katy's family lives just an hour and a half from Woodleaf in the Sacramento area and drove up for a memorable day celebrating their sweet daughter and our son.
Todd proposed at the LOOKOUT TOWER by Woodleaf. If you've been an intern, or on summer staff or work crew, you know the beauty of this spot. Dave and Macha hid and captured everything on camera!!
Then they drove to our house and we surprised them with a party.

And then I captured this picture of our children and for the girls, their spouses, the new fiancee and hopefully the almost fiancee.

The past nine days I've been in three states, hardly slept much, and am exhausted now, BUT I have been blessed beyond belief. My joy is overflowing. Blessings upon blessings. I am indeed grateful.

BLESSINGS ON BLESSINGS

Sometimes I can get overwhelmed by life.
Let's face it: alot of us can get overwhelmed by life.
Our days are filled with to do lists; we have so much to do that we get bogged down trying to accomplish what we set out to do.
Often times, I , and probably you too, miss some of the blessings that come our way because we are "too busy" trying to be the superman or superwoman we think we should be.





Fortunately, today was not one of those days for me.
Its a chilly rainy day at Woodleaf today-which is not typical for the end of June. 
When I woke up this morning I envisioned a day at home thinking this was the best place to be. No messy games for me!! I am sure the kids had a blast, but it was too cold for me-especially in June, to be any part of that.
After my time with Jesus and exercising, I took a quick shower trying to decide whether or not I wanted to go to camp. It was then I remembered that I had a friend who had been at camp as an adult guest for two days and would be leaving sometime today.
I hurredly dressed and went down to camp to see Aunt Ruth. 
Ruth is an incredible woman I met through our dear friends the Parsons.
She obviously isn't my aunt but to countless young people,  she is Aunt Ruth; the woman who loves and cares deeply for the young people she meets. I wanted to see her just so I could experience the bright life she brings and believe me,  I was not disappointed and truly thank God for the blessing she is to so many of us.

Before I even saw Ruth, my eyes caught a glimpse of my friend Chewy, who I hadn't seen in years. Chewy had been an intern here at Woodleaf for three different summers starting with the first one Scud was here. 
We connected almost immediately that first summer because of mutual friends and our love for coffee. I ran up to Chewy and hugged him warmly and we made a date for later in the morning.

But first I needed to check on my friend Ali who had the stomach flu and see what I could do for her. The privilege it is to take care of sick people reminds me of how grateful I still am, for the nurse I once was. I was able to help her figure out her dose for Insulin which always increases when someone with Diabetes gets sick. Then I was able to find some rice and bananas for Ali to eat and off I was to check on another friend who was feeling nauseous and give some more nursing (more realistically just common sense advice) care.

I met up with Chewy and brought him up to our home for a cup of coffee and we caught up a little on events in his life. Chewy's dad died unexpectedly on his birthday this past January, and it was incredible to hear how God orchestrated Chewy being just 15 minutes from his dad this past year and being able to have that time with him before his passing. Chewy is one of those friends that makes you smile just thinking about him!!

Then early this afternoon, I received two more visitors from San Jose. Natalie and Shannon were on my summer staff two years ago at Lost Canyon. I had actually recruited them to come with me. But what makes this even better is that on Saturday I drove to both the San Francisco and Sacramento Airports to pick up two other of my summer staffers from Arizona who were coming to visit . So here we are having a mini reunion because two of our Interns this summer were on that same summer staff and our retail supervisor for the summer was also on that team!!! I never expected this to happen and now I am in the presence of some gifted, talented , godly young women.

All these people I have visited with today remind me again and again the blessings God has showered on me being involved in the ministry of Young Life over the past 39 years. I have been privileged beyond my wildest imagination with people who have touched my life in significant ways. I have had blessing upon blessing through the richness of these relationships.  Some of the friends and people that I have met I might not even remember but that certainly does not negate the impact they once had on me. 
I have watched my own family be blessed beyond belief thru the friendships we have made and through their own adventures and ministry with YL.


It was my heart that was reminded again today of how much my life has been enriched thru Young Life. 
Too often I have complained about the time that has been taken from me doing something with Young Life. Too often I have not relished the fact that God has given me priceless treasures thru the people He has brought into my life thru this ministry.
Today I am ever so grateful for the reminder that not only does Young Life tell thousands upon thousands of kids each year throughout the world of a God who desperately loves them, but gives each of us the gift of treasures in the relationships we make.

You may not be involved in Young Life and that is perfectly OK, but I am sure you must be involved in something that has brought you joy upon joy.
Why don't you count your blessings today!!

Ahhh ....Scud

My last post was about blessings. I have been trying to be thankful and remember how much the LORD has blessed my life . While driving home last night from Chico, I was grateful how God worked His purpose for me that day.

I had lunch with one of "my girls". I thought it might be hard because there were some difficult things that needed to be communicated, but God was right there and it turned out how He planned it and I am grateful for how He leads us and how, when we are trying to be wholly His, that we respond in love.

Later in the afternoon, got to spend time (never enough) with my friend Gail. She inspires me and I love how she ministers to people at any given moment. She is truly a blessing in my life.

In the evening, I got to spend time in a small group discussing temptations and how we can run from them everytime. These 5 gals make my day everytime I am with them. Their honesty, vulnerability with each other and their desire to really be who God envisions them to be totally energizes me to what God has called me to do. Oh how they have blessed my life so much more than I could ever have imagined.

So while reflecting on my day and the blessings God has given me, I thought of the BEST blessing in my life outside of my relationship to JESUS.

SCUD.
He is the best blessing God has bestowed on me.
For almost 37 years now, this man has loved me, encouraged me, challenged me, shown me where I am wrong-always in a loving way, held me when I didn't think I could breathe again, shared my tears and has made me laugh every single day of our married life.

Scud is the opposite of me in so many ways:
He never judges people.
He always thinks before saying anything.
He always listens to 2 sides of a story before making any kind of decision.
He is not reactionary.
He has had the MOST INCREDIBLE servant's heart from the day I met him.
He never wants recognition; just wants to do what Jesus has called him to do.
He is completely humble.

Oh I realize how great he is. I also realize that I just informed you of how not great I am, but most of you who read this already know that.

Scud has been the most wonderful husband for me.
He has been an amazing, wise and loving Dad to our four kids.
I am so grateful that God graciously brought into my life a man who desires to be who God envisions him to be and how he encourages me daily to be the woman God wants me to be.

Completely certain that this is the BEST MAN for me and that God brought Scud into my life so that i could know more of JESUS .
I am forever grateful LORD GOD.
THANK YOU.

When you least expect it

Gosh, it has been a LONG time since I have written anything.
It isn't because nothing has happened. It is just that sometimes life is busy; sometimes I think no one would be interested in what I have to say.
Writing to me can be such a release and also a motivator.
In my journals, I write and contemplate things I am learning-that are not necessarily for anyone but me.
Other times I write because I feel the LORD has taught me something that I want to share to see if will help, inspire, encourage others.
And sometimes I write just to process my thoughts and feelings.

This week I have been in San Jose. I spent three days watching Kellen and Jax while Kristi was at a leadership retreat with her church staff. I always have fun with these little boys and am so grateful that I am close enough to be able to do this. Not only did I have the privilege of being with my grandsons, I had some great times with some great people.


Spent the morning with one of my original Chico gals, Sam Stone, who now lives in San Jose.

Had korean chicken tacos made by Todd.

Shared that meal with my family, the 'girlfriends" and Mary Kay-doesn't get much better than that!

Spent an afternoon with my friend Elaine and the next day we (along with her husband Keith) took our
      grandsons (four of them , all 2 and 4 yrs) to the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose.

Had breakfast and caught up with my friend Ruth.

Had lunch with my dear June-my spiritual mentor of 34+ years.

Bought a new 49ers shirt.

And tomorrow will attend the memorial service of a dear man who was on the Young Life Committee in 
      San Jose for almost 30 years

God has abundantly blessed me and I wasn't even thinking that anything would happen this week.

How often do we miss the things God has blessed us with because we are too busy to notice?

Maybe I was intentionally looking. Maybe I was inspired by my small group on Sunday night and the amazing conversation we had. I was blessed then too as I watched "my girls" care, support and encourage one another.
Maybe it was because on my ride down to San Jose, I was challenged to be thankful and look for the daily blessings.
Whatever it was, right now I sit and marvel of how much God has blessed me this week.

And that's not all. In my quiet times, I began reading Genesis last week. Although I haven't gotten very far, God has blessed me again and again by reminding me of truths I often overlook, shown me new ways to think about things, allowed me to see how far He has taken me and cause me once again to be amazed at how His Word never gets old, and that He wants to reveal more and more of Himself to me on a daily basis.

Its been a fabulous week. Thank you Lord God for showering me with blessings.
What about you?? Stop and just think of how God has blessed you these past 5 days.

 

MORE than Just a Twinge

I just had a wonderful two day visit to Lost Canyon. If you don't know, Lost Canyon is a Young LIfe camp in Williams, Arizona (which is about half an hour from Flagstaff). I am going to be the summer staff coordinator there this summer for 3 weeks and we met together as an assignment team . Good thing its in the mountains and at 7000 ft elevation, because I spent 2 weeks in Phoenix last summer in July and vowed I would do whatever I could, not to return there at that time of year. Altho that time in Phoenix produced one of the greatest joys in my life in Jax Davis, my second grandson.
But I digress. So I absolutely loved Lost Canyon-everything is mostly new and designed by people who really know Young LIfe camping and want every single kid who comes there to have the best week of their lives. Well I got just a bit jealous- because you see, I live at Woodleaf, another Young Life camp that has been around for 40 plus years and is desperately in need of some major repairs and some new facilities.
I guess if Woodleaf had a few millionaire donors, like Lost Canyon, we would have a newer, fancier, more modern day camp. But Woodleaf has a unique charm that Lost Canyon doesn't. Plus it doesn't have the history..especially for me and for my family.
But still...oh how I wished Woodleaf could have the new buildings , the slide, the long zip line that Lost Canyon has.
And then I pondered how much time I spend envying what others have. To be quite honest, I would not want you to know how much.
I've been jealous of my friends' nicer homes, nicer cars, nicer clothes, nicer vacations. Why can't I have what they have?? Why can't I make more money? Why can't I this? why can't I that?
Jealousy and envy are not things I am proud to admit I have. In fact, I feel rather even ridiculous feeling this way. When I consider HOW MUCH I possess compared to 90% of the world, I am most ashamedly embarrassed.
Instead of contemplating how much others might have that I don't , I should count the blessings that GOD has abundantly graced my life with. I have the most wonderful man who has loved me faithfully and consistently for over 35 years, I have 4, well no, 6 adult children , who have incredibly forgiven me for the many mistakes I made mothering them and have brought me such tremendous joy watching them grow into adults who love Jesus with passion.
And then there's Kellen and Jax, the 2 cutest little boys I know (but they deserve their own blog...soon) who have made my heart burst with love that I haven't experienced since I had my own kids.
And then there's my friends..who have blessed my life in too numerous to count ways thru the years. And my first career where I ministered to many patients and their families and loved almost every minute that I was a nurse. And now, not really a career, but its my job, where I get the privilege of loving college kids and pointing them to JESUS in every way I can think of.
So how can I possibly be jealous? How can I have more than just a twinge of envy for others who have more than me?
Good question, huh?
Instead of being envious, I want to be one who counts my blessings. One who has that "attitude of gratitude". One who is content exactly where I am , with what I have.
Oh God, do Your work in my life, so that I can rejoice with how you bless all your children.