Thankful Thursday

"Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name."
- Chronicles 29:11-13(KJV)

I was just thinking the other day about life. We have been given a great gift, and that is Eternal life with Jesus. Right now, we are living a temporary life, as if in a tent, as if camping.

Now, I LOVE camping, but it always feels good to be going home. I dont know about you, but I have this thing I do while we are camping that makes the cleanup and getting ready to go home that much easier. I keep everything packed, just use what I need and then put it away again when I'm done with it. I take very little extra along with me. It keeps me and my family focused on the fun things we want to do while camping instead of focusing on the stuff we have to take with us, and whether we lost something or where is something... we always know. How does this compare to life? Live life as if you are camping! Really, when you think of it, why not live with just the essentials? Maybe have a few nice things here and there (it's not wrong to) but not focus on those things. God wants to bless us, and He has blessed many of us with material possessions, however we need to keep our focus on Christ, and the fact that we'll be going home soon, so we need to be ready for it at all times. And if I've noticed one thing, it's that stuff seems to break my focus. After awhile I begin to focus on the things I need to get, or I need to do, or the problems with something in my life... most of the time those 'somethings' aren't life changing, and I have to refocus on this one thing...

That item will not change my salvation.

I'm so thankful that no matter what happens to the stuff I have right now on this earth, it won't change my salvation. No matter how bad things seem to get, I can know I'll be going home someday and none of that will matter. After all, if your tent breaks, you still have your house. If the food goes bad, there's more than enough that you can still get when you get home. The only thing that really matters is that you are going to be going home...

I am thankful that God loves me, no matter what I've done, no matter how many times I've failed to recognize that my salvation doesn't come from men or what they think of me, no matter how many things I have or don't have, whether I dress pretty or grungy, whether I have peircings, tattoos, am fat or skinny, it doesn't matter. He still loves me.

I am thankful that God is in control of the camping trip. He has given us everything we have! It's a gift! We didn't earn it, we CAN'T earn it, we don't deserve it, it was GIVEN! Everything. The things we have, our health, our bodies, our life, job, money, home, family, friends... everything. So if it doesn't last, or something happens to it, we can remember it was gifted to us, and it really isn't ours to control. It's God's. (that said, I do feel I would mourn the loss of loved ones, relationships, and even things we have in general, I just want to make sure I take the focus off of them and onto God who provided them). So, I don't need to be afraid... He is ultimately in control.

And He's been giving me such a blessed and wonderful camping experience!

There is only one thing I can say... I am truly blessed! Thank You Jesus for Your blessings!