Monday, June 11, 2007

Dios es tan bueno!!

Sometimes, I think I've got things kinda rough. I struggle with ministry and with my chruch and some frustrations, but then I have some major wake-up calls to remind me that God has spared me many things in His amazing grace. As some of you know, I'm in a group counseling class this week. We spend time talking about all kinds of issues in our lives, while we are actually getting group counseling (which is phenomenal and I think everyone should at least try their hand at it once). I saw that not one other guy in my class had a good relationship with their father. There was a girl who had been molested, raped, and otherwise mistreated, a girl whose family was in shambles, and other people with various struggles. I found myself feeling almost guilty for not experiencing the same kind of pain that they had. I felt guilty that God had spared me so much. But wait a minute, GUILT SUCKS! It usually involves in some way not humbly accepting what God has given you, whether it be forgiveness (this is a big one), a good family, the means to live relatively comfortably, take your pick.

How about ourselves. Do we thank God for making us the people we are? I listened to Greg Speck speak at Moody and he was talking about self-esteem and our relationship with God. He challenged us to go home, look in the mirror, and thank God for making us the person that we are! That was an intense thought. We spend so much time complaining about the way we are, or just asking God to change it (which, don't get me wrong, definitely has its place), but how often do we thank God for making us the people we are? I know that I don't do it enough, though I have several times since I listened to Greg, and it's incredible. The gift of our lives, the one that is often not remembered. So DO IT!

I walked out of class, and after talking with some friends I called my dad to thank him for being there for me, and for being a good dad. I love my dad and have a great relationship with him, and that's something to be thankful for. Here's my second didactic statement in one blog, if you have a good relationship with your parents, call and thank them for it. I'm guessing that with how often this relationship gets screwed up, it must be hard to even pull of relatively right. This is starting to sound like a sermon.

On that note, I'll quit before I come up with a third command for you all (well, I think maybe 2 or 3 people read this). Enjoy your day, your God, and your life!

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