Wow, I can't believe how long it has been since I posted. So many things have happened. Kids are growing up; family members have died and went to be with Jesus. The first 3 months of this year have been jam-packed, and then it happened...I heard a song that made me stop and think (you already know what I will say, ha!) I felt like I wanted to share with the rest of the world. I heard this song in the van when the family and I were going somewhere maybe a week ago, but I liked it so well that I added it to my "favorites" playlist. I haven't listened to the song, not one time since then, but then it happened. I went back to work after a doctor's appointment and started playing it. It has been on repeat since this morning at 9:20 am. The song is "Beautiful Things" by Benson Boone. Here is where I would typically paste the lyrics, but you will have to find it yourself this time. The song's gist is that this guy begs God not to take all the beautiful things from his life. That made me start thinking of all the lovely things in my life. I immediately thought of my wife and kids and how beautiful they make my life. We live in an ugly world. Wait, let me explain why I say that. I look at this world through the lens of the bible, and if you see the world that way also, then you will understand what I mean when I say that this world is ugly. This world is sinful and broken, making it unattractive and hard to deal with at times, but thank God Almighty that this world is painted with "Shades of Eternity." If you are a Born Again, Child of God, then you see these "Shades of Eternity" very clearly and often when you do, you have no problem raising your hands toward heaven and thanking the Creator of the Universe for the life and eternal life He has given you.
There are a couple of lines in the song that go, "If everything's good and it's great, why do I sit and wait till it's gone?" and "But I'm up at night thinkin' I just might lose it all" These two lines might be the saddest of all. We sometimes look at the blessings and good things God has given us, put our arms around them, and try to hold them as tightly as possible. We mess up and trade the eternal for temporal things. My prayer for myself is that starting today, Yahweh will help me appreciate the beautiful things in my life more and use those things to bring glory to Solus Christus. I pray that when these beautiful things fade or are snatched from my life, I will not shrink into myself, but that through mercy and grace, I will rise up and SHOUT, THANK YOU, GOD. You can count on it if you are a follower of Christ, that when your beautiful things are taken away, more beautiful things will come your way in God's time. You just have to be willing to see them. If your beautiful things have been taken, PRAY. I pray that God would open your eyes to see them. I am smiling right now, and my heart is full.
