Thanksgiving
"The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance." Ps 16:6 This is one of my favorite verses from the Psalms. The "lines" are boundary lines and the picture David is painting for us is that of a beautiful and fruitful field or farm. The farm can be seen as our lives. As children of God we can look around at our lives and see countless blessings and abundance. It is for these that we are called to be thankful and full of peace and joy. I think we are also called to be discerning with respect to those things in our lives which are not easy for us — things that are hurtful, even devastating. A farmer knows that his farm is good and productive even though it may have a sinkhole or two; a boggy area unsuitable for crops; or a rocky field that is impossible to plow. There can also be droughts which are severe enough to dry up our springs for a season. Yet, the farmer is still thankful for this pleasant place for he knows the drought will pass and the bounty will return.

I am very thankful today and see God’s blessings in so many places in my life. I have walked through a few boggy spots this year but today I stand on the firm Rock and know that Jesus calls me his friend. Though I am thankful, I am also grieving with my friends. Luke and Christy Davis lost their son, Jordan, this week. Eric and Kelly Scherrer lost their infant son, Beau, this week. Allen and Gillian Peabody lost their son, Joseph, in August. These are the sinkholes we fall into and which God, by his grace and comfort, pulls us from. We know because we have been though it ourselves.

This week as I have reflected on all this sorrow I remembered our son’s homegoing service and the song one of our pastor’s sung. It’s an old Red Foley song (Steal Away) and it captures so clearly the message God would have us hear during these "sinkhole" times. I found a video of Foley singing it on YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=czvX07wZUy8