I Am Blessed

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends and bloggers.  Hope it’s been a great day of time with family and friends.  For those of you not in America, I hope you found lots of reasons to be thankful today.  When I woke up this morning, I was overwhelmed with how much I am blessed.

I am blessed with amazing family and friends, a home and pets that I adore and so much more.  But what overwhelmed me the most is that I have been so fortunate to have known Jesus all my life.  That is for almost 50 years.  There’s never been a time that I didn’t know Him and know He was present in my life.

I remember when I first met someone who was an atheist.  She was a girl I stood at the bus stop with in junior high.  I was shocked and sad.  I couldn’t comprehend life without Him in it.  I know many don’t, but He’s been such an integral part of my life.  I have such a freedom with Him and know that I’m never alone.

When I was a teenager and young adult, there were times I wondered if I was missing all the fun.  I often felt like the way I dressed was really boring.  There were many times I felt very isolated during those years, but when I did do anything that was not along the lines of what I believed, I felt horrible.  My life was on the path I couldn’t and didn’t want to stray from.

I knew I was finally comfortable with this path when some co-workers and I were making our way back from a conference for the company we worked for and one of the guys in the car kept making comments about all the hot girls that were there.  I jokingly asked, “So, am I not cute?”  Without missing a beat he said, “You’re take home to mom cute, not one night stand cute!”  It was one of the best compliments I ever received.

I have been through so many hard times with a lifetime of abuse in many forms, an unfaithful husband who later committed suicide and so on, but I’ve always rested on the fact that God promised that He would never leave me or forsake me and He never has or will.  I am blessed that knowing this is something I never question.

He has given me the opportunity to listen to and read many great ministers, biblical scholars and teachers.   They have taught me so much and made me go back into the Bible over and over again when something they said was different than what I had believed or they’d introduced something I hadn’t really considered before and I wanted to know more.  No matter how many times I’ve read and studied the Bible, there’s always something more to learn.

I am blessed also with some amazing friendships where we call each other out on things we are doing or saying that isn’t right as well as lift each other up.  We also laugh and are ridiculous together.  They are my iron as referred to in the Bible when it says ‘as iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another’.  I would never want to do this life or this Christian walk on my own, and we’re not meant to do so.  Over and over the Bible tells about lifting each other up, teaching each other as Jesus gave us an example in teaching and sending out His disciples and carrying each other in hard times.  Two are better than one in most situations and I’m thankful beyond measure for those in my life.

So, what are you thankful for?  Ins love to hear from you.

~ Joanna Lynn