As I sit at my desk, I can hear rain. Praise Jesus! Thank you!
One of our commissioners this week prayed for the rain prior to a committee meeting. I love that!
My yard at home looks like it’s late September. I had some beautiful, blue swallowtail butterflies encircling my front porch recently. It was so hot I felt for one of them.
One died, I discovered later. It’s a reminder that life really is short. We need to be about doing good, while we still have breath, not evil.
We should really be thankful as a lot of blessings have poured our way this week.
Bedford County School System opened a new elementary school off Fairfield Pike. What a beauty it is! Thanks to all who have poured their hearts into this project and taken the time away from their families many times to do so.
We were also blessed this week that former President Donald Trump was not assassinated at the rally. Whether you like The Donald or not, right is right. No one, and their families, should have to experience such trauma, violence.
We are thankful not to be watching a funeral on TV today. He is blessed. I pray he realizes this.
The Republican National Convention has been on this week. A slightly different twist in guests. It’s been interesting to see the line up.
Did you hear the teamster president’s speech the other night? Like he said whether you’re Republican or Democrat, it’s all about the working people. We should not forget whose sweat, and sometimes blood and tears, go into our everyday existence.
I found this devotion and thought it might be a nice one to share, given all the week’s events. Let us all feel grateful, today.
Count Your Blessings, Not Your Problems
“Praise the Lord, my soul, and
forget not all his benefits.” Psalm 103:2 NIV
The world is full of problems, and not a day goes by that we don’t have to deal with some of them, whether it is mechanical devices not working, or people getting sick, or problems caused by natural disasters like storms or earthquakes. And it is only natural that much of our waking hours are therefore spent fixing or cleaning up after these problems. We do well to try to prevent their damage in the first place. An ounce of prevention is indeed worth a pound of cure. There is a reason why everyone who drives a car needs auto insurance and why everyone who has a physical body needs health insurance. But if we spend too much time focusing on the problematic aspects of life our well-being will be adversely affected and we might even find that we have added unnecessarily to our problems by causing undue anxiety. We should take time every day to count our blessings, that is, to think about what we can be thankful for. A simple meal or a cup of coffee and a donut can be a real pleasure. And often the things that bring us the most joy cost nothing. A beautiful sunset or a walk in the woods with a friend or loved one can lift our spirits and have a lasting positive effect on our outlook. So, focus on the positive, and even when you have some problems to solve, consider it a blessing that you have the resources to do so. – Christopher Simon
