Praise

The Lord is heavily on my mind tonight. I just went over to a blog that I often read and love. A sweet family with three children who just lost their fourth at 11 months of age. Her name was Gracie. She had a poor heart and the transplant she got didn't take.

The post they did today was on her funeral. It broke my heart. It overwhelmed me with guilt. Things such as that make me realize how stupid and trivial other things really are.

I'm so thankful that God gives me a way out of those petty things. He delivers me from the hand of my enemy. Satan loves to consume us with things that have a way of seeming "important" even though we know they aren't.

I don't let Satan or other people steal the joy God has given me. I'm at a point in my life where I honestly don't care what other people think of me. My family, my dear friends and my Lord. Other than that, I'm not giving one ounce of attention to it.

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I read the blog of that family and couldn't help but thank my Lord for his many, many undeserved blessings. Why does He love me so? Am I worthy? No I am not.

I'm not one of those people who sits around wanting more than I have. I guess I should be thankful that I honestly don't care about most of those things...don't get me wrong, I love me some clothes and some shoes! But, overall, I could drive a pinto and live in a hut and not really care ( walk in closets are a must though).

It also may surpise you to know that I don't put much value into the outer appearance. I mean, I like to look pretty.. but it doesn't bother me one ounce what size I am. I think I might be in a minority on that one. But truly, put me in a room full of stick-thin women and I'm gonna be the one eating a donut. I'm never passing one of those up. Maybe my confidence about that has alot to do with my husband. He has always loved me, at whichever size I am. I am so appreciative of that.

I'm thankful that God has given me such a compassion for others. I have zero tolerance for those who make fun of, or put down others. Now, am I going to sit here and say that I have never made a joke about another person? Certainly not. But, I do not get any pleasure out of the making fun of someone else. I actually tend to shy away from those who do that sort of thing. I guess the way I see it is, if you'll do it to ME about someone else, then you'll do it to someone else about ME. So I say adios to those folks.

Something else that I feel like God has blessed me with.. it sounds crazy..but I'm a good judge of charecter. Ok now I'm starting to sound like the phycic lady on the Montell Williams show.. Now, I know some of you reading this who are friends of mine and who know me really well are saying, "Ok Rachel if you're such a good judge of charecter then why have you been a doormat a time or two in your day??" I didn't say I was a good judge of motive. Truth is, even if I did get a feeling that it wasn't pure or even if they hurt me, I've always been big into second chances and forgiveness. Now that I'm a bit older, I have come to realize when enough is enough. Period. But overall I can sense things about people..I can see past the smile. I can sometimes sense where they are hurting. I want people to know that I love them and that I'd do anything to help them where they are. I know I couldn't have gotten through parts of life without the same ability that others have and have extended that graciousness to me.

I honestly can tell you that the fact that I was made fun of so badly growing up plays a huge role in who I am today.. some of the worst years of my life turned out to be something I am thankful for. See, I had two very bad seizures when I was little that caused me to be a six year old who couldn't read or write.. didn't know my right from my left. They said I'd never play sports or ride a bike. I was labled big time. I was in special classes. I had a few regular classes where the teachers treated me "different" therefore the kids began to be ugly and I pretty much became the butt of all the jokes. I proved all the doctors wrong and by God's grace I was a super athlete with many accomplishments. Now I was no whiz at science but I did get a 100 on my biology test once! Hah!

But God taught me a valuable lesson thru those years.. "You Reap What You Sow" is so true. I never hated those people who were so hateful to me. In my heart I knew that they really needed Jesus. But years later, I look at them, and I look at me and KNOW how good God is. Most of them are still living the same lives they were in high school. Lonely. Empty. Lost. They'd make fun of me but when they had a crisis, who was the first person they'd come to? Yep, me. I do not hate those people; my heart breaks for them and I hope that one day, they meet The One who changed my life.

Anyhow, I don't know how I got off on all of that. I just wanted to say publiclly to my Jesus, how much I love Him, and how thankful I am for all of His blessings that I do not deserve.

You are so good to me Lord. "Greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world!"

"If the Lord be for me, who can be against me?"

"For whatsoever things are noble, right, pure and lovely, think on these things."