grateful

today i drove up to a little hospital where 2 people from the churches were/are. as i was driving i became overwhelmed with gratitude.

this morning i preached 2 services at 2 churches about God's amazing love and grace. i visited a few people in the nursing home who abosolutely make me light up just thinking about them. and as i drove i admired the beauty of God's wondrous creation.

tears began streaming from my eyes. tears of joy and gratitude. never could/would i have dreamt that God would call me into ministry. never would i have dreamt/imagined that i would love it this much.

i was filled with joy and a peace that i can find no words--only thoughts and memories of Jesus' words "peace i give to you, but not the world's kind of peace" (my own paraphrase). what grace it was to feel this peace. what a joy it is that i get to serve God by sharing God's love and i actually get paid for this!

i realize that there will be rough times ahead. i'm not totally naive but i never imagined that being a pastor would feel like "this." i didn't know that God was going to bless me so grandly. i miss my family terribly. last night i was ready to hop on a plane to denver or ride back with my mom so i could be with my family. it still sounds tempting, yet i am filled, overflowing with love and gratitude for God's grace, mercy, and love. how is it that i could be so blessed?

thank you, God, for allowing me to feel this way. i hope and pray that in times of pain and hardship i will remember today and let it give me your strength to push forward. thank you, thank you, thank you! amen.

Comments

Iris said…
Your last few posts are making me smile really big! God bless you, HipChick!
Thanks for visiting my blog..spiritual motion.

I've been quite ill and have a ways to recover, but being summer, I can do that. I've not been on my blog steadily because of this, so am hoping to get back to do more.

I enjoyed this post... as I am grateful for my life. Gratitude seems to be like electricity, as the currents flow, healing and joy push away the ugly stuff of life...I speak for myself, of course.

I hope you keep this memory alive...and I'm sure you will in actions and the words in your ministry. There are hard spots all right, but God frees us into love again and again, and when you look back, you'll see it.

I am a poet, as you may have seen, and it's almost always a working out. The gift is spiritual and keeps me centered.

Happy to know you're with RevGals.
I'll be back again.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Oooops!
They put mine on twice...the same thing, so I deleted one.
Terri said…
Oh, Revhip...so glad...yeah, ok, so there will be some tough times...life is life afterall....but really if you can hang onto this feeling and call it up when all seems bleak... it will help to sustain you...I mean life is life but it is hope that always gets us through...and right now you are living the fullness of hope!
revkjarla said…
lovely.
sounds like...the deepest sense of your call is being realized in the right place and the right time...and these moments now will feed and nourish you....
grateful with you.
peace....

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