Bedlam
November 8
Back in the 80's when we would go to the UNC football games we had our children pick a cheerleader and a football player pen pal. That gave them someone to focus on and us college students to invest in and pray for. One of those players became a part of our family and we love him deeply. It's been a blessing to watch him raise his family and invest in this next generation. His oldest son dug himself deep into my heart as a little boy and is now a senior in college and I have the privilege of cheering for him as a college quarterback every Saturday. This month he is on the cover of the Fellowship of Christian Athlete's magazine and the is a fabulous article about him. Young men and women like this fill me with such hope for the gospel being carried forward.
Saturday was Oklahoma State's rival game of the year against Oklahoma. It is nicknamed Bedlam and that it was. Our guy's team lost in the last minutes. Such a heart breaker.
In one of the Revive Our Hearts entires on gratitude I found this passage to bring solace for not only the outcome of this football game, but so many struggles we all face in life.
"You see, we tend to think that if we could just figure out what God's doing and what His purpose is in these circumstances in our lives, then we could thank Him. But the test of my faith is, "Am I willing to make the sacrifice of thanksgiving when I don't have the answers, when I don't know the why's of what is going on in my life, when there is no way to make sense of what has happened?"
She continues and shares a suggested attitude of gratitude pledge written by a man named Russell Kelfer on how we can yield our rights to God.
"Having been born again into the kingdom of God, I do hereby acknowledge that God's purchase of my life included all the rights and control of that life for all of eternity.
I do further acknowledge that He has not guaranteed me to be free from pain, or to have success or prosperity. He has not guaranteed me perfect health. He has not guaranteed me perfect parents. He has not guaranteed me perfect children. He has not guaranteed me the absence of pressures, trials, misunderstandings or persecution.
What He has promised me is eternal life. What He has promised me is abundant life. What He has promised me is love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, meekness, and self-control. He has given me all of Himself in exchange for the rights to my life.
Therefore, I acknowledge this day the relinquishment of all my rights and expectations and humbly ask Him by His grace to replace these with a grateful spirit for whatever in His wisdom He deems to allow for my life.
His servant.
November Gratitude Challenge
(Referencing the story of the 10 lepers who Jesus healed and how only 1 came back to say thank you, consider this.)
"Who's the one who got the closest to Jesus? Who's the only one who got close to Jesus?
It's the one who was grateful.
When you and I express gratitude to Jesus, that's when we get closet to Him than we ever have been able to be before."
"Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back praising God with a loud voice."
Luke 17:15
