Thankful for the faithful

Where would we be without the faithful?

              My mind cannot leave the words from my own faithful pastor. Yesterday we had a missionary and his wife come and speak. He had suffered a stroke a year ago, and does not speak much any more at public events. He spoke wonderfully and relayed a beautiful message. He kept asking us to all be patient, and in my mind I kept thinking, I could be patient all day to hear the wisdom from this man with many years serving the Lord. My pastor then got up and began to say how thankful he was for the faithful. What a thought that has truly been on my mind.

              It is 3am, I just fed my sweet baby boy. I think of my children, and the duty that God gave me. He gave me these gifts. I think of how discouraged I can get in the wee hours of the morning when I am exhausted and I know what the day holds. I can easily lose sight of what God wants me to do. To teach them diligantly in the way they should go. You see, when my pastor got up yesterday and spoke of how he was thankful for this lovely couple and the dynamic they brought to our church by just being in the room. I was taken back when he said it is the strong and capable YOUTH really that we consider to be the capable ones. How true is this. I think I am a young parent, I need to keep up at the gym, eat healthy, so I can keep up with my kids. All that is true, but how much more vital is it that I keep up in the ways of the Lord.

            He said the bible says the Lord delights when we have made it to the grave, the true time of maturity.
I think not only of my children in this early morning thought, but my brothers. As we have gotten older, we have all had to go through rough times. Each of us are now in adult hood, being faced daily with the question of which paths to take. I think of my grandparents being the first generation to choose to teach their children in the way they should go. I think that in life when I faced hard decisions, how many of those would I have chosen the wrong way without the tears and intersession of a praying generation before me. I think of previous years when I did not wake at 3am with a prayer on my heart, but torture of guilt, or shame, and how through the years the Lord has RESTORED to me a sound mind! I think of my brothers and hard things they have had to face, how much harder would it have been without the previous praying generations?

            The Lord lets us all choose a path, and it amazes me daily, that even when I have chosen the wrong path, his blood application from the baptism I had as a young child, still keeps me. When I have chosen a wrong path, and then turned to him in repentance, he uses those choices I mistakingly made, to win others to him. He uses those mistakes to bring healing to my mind and others. And again, where would I be without the faithful?

Lord please,
Let me be the faithful. Let my children know me as faithful. Let people know my family as faithful. Let me not grow weary, but be faithful....in giving, in love, in patience, in kindness, in serving, in praying and whatever you call me to be faithful for.

I realize now more than ever that this life is but a vapor. The Lord is warning us to not become like the world, we must stand apart so others can see his light, and know the Lords faithfulness! Because that is what he has constantly been to me and to those I love with all my heart, he has been faithful. I love my family, and to my brothers who are on my mind this morning, I love you both dearly.