The Sobering Realization

So a couple days ago I was sitting in the church conference room, alone, just typing up stuff on my computer and going about my business when a sudden realization hit me like a ton of bricks. This was it: "You're not even supposed to be here." It made me a bit emotional. I could feel the Holy Spirit's presence. And the voice in my head was right. I wasn't supposed to be there. I am not supposed to be where I am today.

The sudden realization of all that God has blessed me with is sobering. When I was eight I was diagnosed with a disease that was supposed to leave me both blind and deaf.  So this is my literal train of thought, sitting there in this conference room: Now... If God had not worked a miracle in my life and healed me of that incurable disease, then I would be blind and deaf right now. I would not be sitting in this church room, working; I would not have an associates degree; I would not have met this amazing girl; I wouldn't be able to hear the voices of the ones I love or see their faces; I wouldn't be able to drive; I wouldn't be able to minister to so many people the way I have; I would not be able to be independent, but would rely solely on others for my day-to-day needs, and on, and on, and on...

Needless to say, it was a freakishly sobering moment in which I saw everything that would have never been, but for the fact that God blessed me. 

My question to you is... What blessings has God given you? Evaluate them and try to think what would have been, or what would have never been but for the fact that God blessed you.

This was just a thought that I wanted to share with all of you. Think about it.

     So, I remember about three years ago, me and my old man attempted a camping trip. It went great, honestly, in my mind it couldn't have gone better. Yeah, it was freezing, and the night was long, but I learned a lot of things. I always learn a lot when I hang out with my Dad. We stayed up and talked about life, and school, and church, and a lot of things. We talked about his life and the lessons he had learned. In this conversation I carried two things away. Two life lessons that I will never forget. Leadership, and Love.


     My Dad is a great leader. He'd probably laugh at you if you told him this(He's probably reading this and laughing or at least smiling right now), but that's one of the things that makes him so great at it. He's never sought leadership, and doesn't necessarily like it when he has it, but when it has been put on him and given to him he does it well, and is always ready to give it up or pass it on. 


     Abraham Lincoln said, "The true test of a man is power."(Or something along those lines.) George Washington was another man of leadership and power. At the end of his Presidency people were beginning to toy with the idea of just making him the King. As a matter of fact, word got across the big pond to the King of England. The King of England is quoted as saying "If he gives up this power, he will be the greatest man on Earth." You see, great men and women who are great leaders don't care about their position or the amount of power they possess. They just walk in and get stuff done.


     Love is the second thing I remember from that cold night. For one, he loved me enough that halfway through the night I woke up and all but one of the blankets was on me. That was probably my bad... Anyway. My Dad has always loved my Mom. From the teenage years all the way till' now. Through the good, and the bad. Through the hard times and through the wonderful times. The bad times were bad. My Dad taught me through his example and through his stories that Love is not an emotion. I had always considered love as just a feeling. It's not. Love goes so far beyond feelings. Feelings may accompany it, but they can't sustain it or hold it up. Love means standing with someone or in a situation when nothing is going right. Whether it's with a friend, in marriage, in your job, or anywhere. 


     It's pretty cool the things you can learn when you take the time to hang out with your parents or grandparents. It goes the same with God. You can learn some awesome, crazy things when you hang out and listen to God. Just like I listen to my Earthly Father and Mother, I listen to my Heavenly Father. You can learn a lot from both. Take the time.