JOYFUL ACCEPTANCE

Today I sat in the home of my baby sis. Her husband will soon be deployed to Iraq. We will all go to the public send off. We will honor his service and the service of so many others going with him and going before him. We will think of my dad's time in Vietnam and pray for God's protection over him and their family while he is gone.

For some, this would be cause for stress. Cause for worry. Cause for family turmoil and strife.

For some, this would be cause for disarray. Cause for fret. Cause for anxious anticipation and uncertainty.

But today, as I sat in the living room of my baby sis and looked at their family, I was in awe. I was encouraged. I was uplifted.

Today, when Brian and Kate could be full of anger at the impact of war on their family, when they could be griping and complaining, when they could be cursing our Lord....

INSTEAD...I heard them say,

"This too is of the Lord! Our God is good. Our God is faithful. Our God will provide."

And that my friends...is CAUSE FOR ME TO BE GRATEFUL! 

That my friends is what we call...

JOYFUL ACCEPTANCE

THANK YOU KATE for supporting your husband by being there for him, being there for your family, and being a servant of Christ. THANK YOU BRIAN for being there for your family, being there so your kids and my kids, and the kids in Iraq can have freedom!  Thank you for being a man of Christ! And, THANK YOU MOM AND DAD for paving the way through your service during Vietnam and being the first to show us patriotism and Christianity!!!

 "God has a perfect plan for our lives, but He can not take us to the next step of His plan until we joyfully accept the present situation as part of that plan. What happens next is God's move, not ours."

 -From the book, "Power in Praise" by Merlin Carothers

"The joy of the Lord is your strength!"

Nehemiah 8:10