I've never really understood why those "Praise God!" moments happen when they do, but I had an interesting one this morning. I was running this morning at PT and anyone who runs distance knows that the best way to endure the pain of a run is to think about other things. So, as I always do, I thought about home, my mom, dad, and brother. I thought about what I would be doing right now if I wasn't in the Army. It is a great way to grasp your thoughts and let them go. Anyway, I was running, nothing big, just a couple of miles, and I was looking around the track at other things and I noticed an incredible orange moon hanging low on the horizon. In that moment I thought, "Thank you God." I also began to think about the scripture my mother had given me only the day before. Romans 5:1-5 has a lot of deep thoughts on suffering. This caused me to recollect my experience in being away from home for the last six months and how much it hurts not being with my family. In my suffering I have found the Lord in new ways that I never thought possible. It's amazing how pain can help us to find a love that cannot be found anywhere else. I feel so blessed today and I think back on how blessed my life has always been and it's at times like these when I realize that everything is going to be just fine.
I love the fact that the "incredible orange moon" caused you to take note of God. I began reading through Romans today and this very thing Paul speaks of, and, actually, gives no one an excuse to say they didn't know God. I often take my kids out in the warm Alabama evenings just after dusk when everything is dark and settling down for the night, and we lie on our backs and gaze at the stars. They are all 9 and under, and I ask them about all the sounds they hear and ask, "What do you hear?" They'll respond with anything from a dog to a cricket, and then I'll ask, "Who made that?" It's great, and a great way to be connected to God.
ReplyDeleteThanks for serving the country! I hope you find more and more of these moments as you live life. One day you'll be looking at that "incredible orange moon" and you won't be away from your family... you'll be surrounded by them. Until then we pray...
Oh, and though I live in Bama, I graduated high school in 1996 at Decatur Central and went to college my freshman year at IUPUI before moving back to Bama where I was born and raised mostly. I've been here ever since... in case you were wondering. (You probably weren't!) :)