By, Kaleidoscope
I grew up learning to cultivate an “attitude of gratitude”, to be thankful for the things I have and not to waste time wishing for those that I don’t have. I was taught, all the way up through, that it is God that gives us the blessings in our life and I believe this completely. I know that it is God who gives me every breath I take in.
I often think about all the things I have to be grateful for, listing them in my mind and thanking God for them. It is when I do this that I know that even though I may not have much money- I am truly rich. In all the things that really matter, I am wealthy beyond measure.
The Lord gave me wonderful parents and I am thankful that I still have both of mine. He gave me a good husband and 6 great kids, all of which have grown up to be amazing adults. I have 7 grandchildren being raised by parents who love them and want to insure that they too grow up to be the best they can be. Their parents teach them the importance of knowing God for themselves and having a personal relationship with Him.
I had awesome grandparents, too. The ones on my Mom’s side were both born again believers and lived their lives as examples to all of us. The grandparents on my Dad’s side were not saved until very near the end of their lives, but oh, how grateful I am that they made that choice before they passed on!
I am grateful for the comfortable home that we have along with its’ comfortable mortgage. I am grateful for the good jobs that we have.
I belong to a wonderful church, have an excellent Pastor that isn’t afraid to preach tough stuff, have a church family that I love.
I have friends that have been with me through it all- the good, the bad and the ugly, and they’ve stuck by me.
Yes, I have heartache in my life, but I am grateful for the peace I have in knowing that God knows all about every bit of it. And, when the time is right, He will take care of each situation in His own way. My problems belong to Him, and which of them would I want to take back from His hands? Not a one- there’s no way I could fix them better than the Creator of the very universe.
I have so much that I am grateful for, that I could never list it all, so I won’t attempt to.
I’ll just go on, from day to day, reveling in the blessings that surround me, but most of all being thankful that it is well with my soul, which is one of my very favorite songs. I love the entire song, but it is the third verse I love the best. How could I be anything other than grateful, to the very core of my being, for knowledge such as that?
When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Refrain
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
Refrain
My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
Refrain
For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
Instead
He stretched forth nail scarred hands to me
when I would have drowned in sin’s stormy sea-
such gentle hands but, oh so strong
that once were pierced for all the things I’ve done wrong.
As I looked upon His compassionate face,
overwhelmed by His gift of grace,
He brought me safe to salvation’s shore
and generously forgave all I’d been before.
There on His brow where once the thorny crown was placed
were the tiny lines those thorns had traced.
I could only stand in awe and wonder why
He became the Sacrifice for a creature such as I.
It was for my sins He left His rightful throne
that I might someday claim His gift of salvation for my own.
And though I surely helped to set that mocking crown upon His head,
rather than the reproach I deserve- He gave His life instead.
Cynthia J. Nichols
1998
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