Faith, Family, and Friends

As I continue on my "gratitude journey," I'm reminded of three things that are important to me. I am grateful for FAITH, FAMILY, and FRIENDS. This isn't a glib attempt to grasp at just anything in order to create a post; I am seriously grateful for these three things.

FAITH - Hebrews 11:1-2 provides a good description of the importance of faith - "The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living. It’s our handle on what we can’t see. The act of faith is what distinguished our ancestors, set them above the crowd...." I've listed faith first in this blog post for a reason... God is my Everything, and I am grateful for faith because it is the foundation of my relationship with Him. Faith gives me hope. Life is hard - plain and simple. Without God, I can do nothing; with Him, I can do all things (Philippians 4:13). Without faith in God and His ability to get me through (no matter what I face), I would have no hope; without hope, I would not have courage to face the world, and I could not survive. Sure, sometimes my faith falters... and when it does? I ask God to forgive me; I ask Him to increase my faith. My faith isn't perfect, but God is, and He's still working on me!

FAMILY - Erma Bombeck's description of family resonates with me - "We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together." As I focus on these words in an attempt to identify with them, I search for my own words to explain why I am grateful for family. I find myself reminiscing over the common threads that draw the members of my family together in intimate ways. The love that exists between us is so very deep that it rises above the difficulties that sometimes threaten to destroy us. I realize I am grateful for my family because of the love we share, and I find it difficult to imagine how God's love for us could be even greater. But I know God's love is greater than anything shared between people because we, as humans, are not capable of loving unconditionally. And the thought of my family's imperfect love causes me to smile because it is the knowledge of that imperfection that allows me to glimpse a glimmer of His perfect love for me. My heart is full of gratitude.

FRIENDS - "But oh! the blessing it is to have a friend to whom one can speak fearlessly on any subject; with whom one's deepest as well as one's most foolish thoughts come out simply and safely.  Oh, the comfort - the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person - having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away" ~Dinah Craik. I believe it's important to have friends, and this quote sums up the reasons I appreciate sincere friends. Once again, I am reminded of the concept of God's unconditional love. When relatives are capable of being genuine friends, it is a double blessing. Outside of family, there are acquaintances, and there are friends; true friends are rare. I am grateful for bona fide friends because they allow me to share from my heart without fear of judgment, and friends who share my prayer concerns and praises are the best friends of all. Proverbs 18:24 provides some important insight on friendship - "A man that hath friends must show himself friendly, and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother." I pray God's love shines through me to allow me to be this sort of friend.

In gratitude...
~Rebekah