So many times, it is so easy to take friends, family, things, and warm beds for granted. This year I am realizing how much I took for granted in years past, and just how little I really appreciated the people and things around me. This Thanksgiving is, and will be different. I wish that I could be with my friends and family, and enjoying conversation along with a good home-cooked meal, but this year God has different plans for me. I find myself complaining about little things here and there, but I have a bed, a shower, and food on my plate every day. I really have nothing to complain about. Sure some days the kids get on my nerves, and other days the staff make me frustrated...but there's a bigger picture involved here...it's not about the here and now, it's about the progress and the work, and the end results of the hard days...
I found out last Thursday, 11/19/09, that a fellow student missionary on the island of Yap was murdered. We're living in a sinful world, and we must love while we can, we must choose to appreciate while we can, and we must choose to live our lives to the fullest while we can. Even though I didn't know her personally, I took, and am taking, the news very hard...she was on the front lines of the battlefield. She was doing God's work, and the enemy wanted to stop her. Going out as a student missionary is not always a safe thing to do, but she died working for the Lord, and I am so proud of her.
I know that it's hard to see the reasons for why God allows some of these horrible things to happen, but I was thinking about it... and I came to the conclusion that even tho' we can't always see the reasons behind the horrible things... everything that happens is just part of the puzzle of life, and some pieces make more sense than other ones, but everything is coming together to form a finish in this world... and I believe that the end is near, and I know that God has reasons bigger than our understanding for every good and bad thing that happens...
I am thankful to be alive and working for the Lord. We must live everyday for the Lord, no matter where we are...time on this earth is short, and we never know which day will be our last. Please keep the Wolcott family in your prayers...they will be needing all the extra prayers they can get, especially around the Holidays...
Much love,
Laurel
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I hope you have a happy Thanksgiving. While I know you wish you were with your family during these holidays, I know that the Lord is with you. He has a special blessing for you and will remind you of His love for you every day. As you and your fellow soldiers celebrate this time of remembering the blessings God has showered upon you, remember to be thankful for each other. Often we can do and say things that cause pain in the hearts of our brothers and sisters, but God has put us together for a reason.
ReplyDelete“ Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD.
Jeremiah 9:23-24 NKJV