A month of Thankfulness

For the past several years I have done the daily thankfulness posts on Facebook.  I decided to do something a little different this year.  When I think of the things that I'm thankful for, it's mostly the people in my life that make me happy.  So, why not write a letter to those people?  That is my plan, and I will share those letters here.  They will be forever engraved in blogger history. And of course, I will give them a hand-written copy by snail mail.  (I LOVE writing letters.) So, just so you know, I'm excited about this!!

I'm not going to post my thankful letters in any particular order because there are several people in my family that have birthdays this month, so their day will be their birthday (of course).  So, if you think that my priorities are a little messed up when you read my posts, well, they're not.  That's all I'll say about that. 

Anyway, back to being thankful.

First of all, before I get to all the people in my life that I am so thankful for, I want to say that I am so thankful that the Lord had mercy on this sinner and saved my soul from hell.  I surely don't deserve His mercy and love, but fortunately God doesn't offer salvation to only those who deserve it.  God loves HIS creation so much, that His offer of salvation is to everyone. 

For God so loved the WORLD that He gave His only begotten Son that WHOSEVER believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

I grew up in a Christian home.  My dad is a preacher and we never missed church.  We went every time the doors were opened.  We went to revivals and singings.  We were ALWAYS in church.  That was my life.  My best friends were my friends at church.  It never even crossed my mind to tell my parents that I didn't want to go to church, because it was accepted in my house that we went and that was that. 

I can even remember when I was probably somewhere between 8 and 10 years old, my parents both had the flu at the same time.  On Sunday morning I got up and started getting ready.  I didn't see or hear my parents moving around so I went to their room and they were both still in the bed.  I couldn't understand why at least one of them wasn't getting up to take my brothers and me to church.  Having the flu didn't mean anything to me, you were SUPPOSED to go to church. 

When I started 10th grade, my parents put us in a Christian school and that's where I graduated.  I could quote scripture, answer Bible questions that most adults couldn't, I could tell somebody how to get saved, I sung in the choir, and I even taught Sunday School a time or two.

 But the knowledge that I had did nothing for my soul.

I remember being scared and hoping that the Lord wouldn't come back, because I knew that I wasn't saved.  I don't know why I kept waiting.  I never got into trouble and I was a good kid, so nobody ever questioned me about salvation.  They just assumed that I was saved.  I even had a Sunday School teacher thank me for being a good influence on the other teens in our class.  Things like that would convict me so much, but I just wouldn't let go of my pride.

Time went on.  I got married to my high school sweetheart in April of 1991.  In March of 1992, I found out that I was pregnant.  My husband and I were so excited.  We were busy in church.  Our lives seemed just right. 

I think back to that time and my heart just overflows with thanksgiving.  God could have shut the door on me.  He could have just left me alone and never dealt with my heart again. 

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.or through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;  Ephesians 2:4-19

He used the baby that I was carrying to woo me to Him.  The thought kept running through my mind, "If something happens and this baby and I die, the baby will go to heaven and I will go to hell".  Finally, one Sunday evening on the way home from church my husband asked me if I was sure that I was saved.  That kind of opened the door for me to tell him what had been going on in my heart and my mind.

Another week went by.  My husband had called several people and asked them to pray for me.  The next Sunday morning, the Holy Spirit conviction was on me so badly that I couldn't sit there any longer.  I made my way to the altar and gave my heart to the Lord. 

I am so thankful that He gave me that one last chance to accept His gift of salvation.