Two days ago, I started talking about the top four
things I am thankful for. Number four was the great country in which I live.
And number three was the friends that God has put in my life throughout my 46
years on this earth. Today, I want to share my number two thing that I am
thankful for.
#2—Family
I have been blessed by having such a great family. And I
want to share with you some awesome things about that family. The family that God
has given me is diverse. They are men and women from every corner of the globe.
They are people who love Jesus with all of their heart, mind, soul and
strength. They are brothers and sisters who I will one day spend the rest of
eternity with, and it doesn’t matter what label they put on themselves, they
are those who I love and love me.
I am, of course, speaking of my heavenly family, that is
called “The Church”. I am so thankful for all of them, because of they have
encouraged me, strengthened me, appreciated me, and shown me and my earthly
family such kindness. So, for all of you who are my family in Christ, thank you
for who you are and for all you do!
But I would be incredibly remiss if I do not also say, “Thank
you, Lord” for my earthly family. I am so thankful to the Lord for the parents
He gave me. Wayne and Mary have been a solid rock in my life and they taught me
what it is to love God and follow after Him. That is a heritage that I can
never say “Thank You!” enough for.
I also thank God for my brother, Tim. He’s one of my
closest friends and he is always there for me when I need him. His words are
sometimes hard for me to hear, but he never stops loving me. And for that, I
thank God.
I also thank God for my other parents who He gave me
when I married their daughter. Jack and Kay have been cheerleaders, advisors, sounding-boards,
and all-around great people. I am SO thankful because I know that some others I
know have not had as good of fortune as I have when it comes to In-Laws. Thanks
God!
And I thank God for my kids, Anna, Andrew, Abigail,
Alexander, Allison, and Azariah. They fill my life with such joy and happiness.
They are always making me laugh, sometimes making me cry, but always making me
love them more each day.
And now, I save the best for last. I thank God, every
day of my life, for the love that He has shown to me through my loving,
beautiful and talented wife, Cindy. She is truly my best friend in the world.
Sometimes I do not demonstrate to her through my life just how much I love and
appreciate her. But she means more to me than anything else in this world. She
is my companion, my love and my accountability partner. She holds my feet to
the fire when I am wrong, and she cheers me on when I’m right. I love her more
now than the day I married her, and I less than I will tomorrow.
Thank you, Lord for my family! You have used them to
make me who I am today!
We’ll see you on Sunday!
