Category: I’m So Thankful

Earlier this morning, I heard an ambulance near my house.  As I listened, trying to hear where it was headed, I couldn’t help thinking that it could have been in my driveway.  Hearing the sirens reminded me of my bout with appendicitis.  Prior to having surgery, I felt so horrible that all I could do was sleep.  When I finally had the appendectomy, the surgeon told me it was a miracle that I made it in for an examination.  Although my appendix never ruptured (praise the Lord), it was so infected that it had gangrened.

Many of the processes that support our lives are so subconscious that we take them for granted.  Some might even attribute their health and strength to their lifestyle choices.  They assume H1N1 and other diseases miss them because they use hand sanitizer, exercise, or eat healthy.  But the ambulance this morning, and my appendix two years ago, reminded me of the source of our well-being.  I think Paul said it best, “For in him we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28, New Living Translation).

If you’re reading this email, then you’re a beneficiary of God’s keeping power.  Your alarm clock didn’t wake you up; an alarm clock is still beeping, and the owner won’t hear it.  You’re alive because God keeps your body working properly.  I guess that’s why the psalmist wrote, “Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord!” (Psalm 150:6, New Living Translation).

As I drove to work yesterday, I ran into a traffic jam.  Immediately, I knew what the hold up was – an accident.  And, what an accident it was.  The impact of the collision had turned one car around, and it was facing incoming traffic.  As I drove by the debris, I thought about the accident I had last year, around the same time.  It happened so quick, and could have been fatal, but I walked away, injury free.

As I kept driving, I reflected over the past year.  I have been in a car almost every day in 2009, but I haven’t had an accident or a close call.  Why?  Maybe the accident made me a better driver; maybe I keep a safe distance away from the cars in front of me.  Maybe the tires are inflated correctly or the anti-lock brake system is flawless.  Honestly, the same thing that saved my life in 2008 continues to protect me in 2009.  I drive up and down the dangerous highways each day because God gives me road mercy.

I’m so thankful that “… the angel of the Lord is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him” (Psalm 34:7, New Living Translation).  If you’ve traveled anywhere safely this year, whether by bike, car, plane, ship, or train, you’ve benefited from God’s protection.  Who is like the Lord?  Nobody!

Admittedly, I’m a fan of car washing; there’s nothing like driving a clean car.  Needless to say, when I saw the weather forecast for last Saturday – mostly sunny, high near 80 degrees, slight chance of rain – I was giddy!  To my dismay, however, the weather forecast was a bit off.  A front came in sooner than anticipated, and it rained, off and on, all weekend.  For a moment, I was so upset that I didn’t know what to do with myself.

Then, I noticed the grass and how green it was.  Next, I looked at the beautifully colored leaves dangling or falling from the trees.  Without rain, plant growth or the first signs of Fall are impossible.  Then, I had a flashback to a couple of years ago when rain was a commodity.  Not long ago, North Carolina was so arid that water conservation efforts were widespread.  I even thought about the time of year it was – almost the end of hurricane season – and realized that the rain could have been a torrential, life-threatening storm.  Not long thereafter,  I paused and thanked God for the water that flowed so freely from heaven.

Small things like rain remind me how good God is.  When I thought about how He blesses us with rain, I couldn’t help echoing the psalmist’s sentiments: “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!” (Psalm 107:1, New Living Translation).  What an awesome God we serve!