Give thanks for who you are

 

 This is the title of the day's message in the daily devotional and the text that is included is one of my favorites - Romans 8: 31-39.

It contains these verses:  What then are we to say about these things?  If God is for us, who is against us?.......For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, not angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor power, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."

These verses are frequently read at funerals as we understand that God's love is always and eternal.  

I write this as I prepare to go to see my brother Geoff and his wife Vicky in North Carolina.  The last time I flew alone to see them was right after Chuck died.  They provided a welcome sanctuary in the midst of my grief.

I go today with a lighter spirit but a similar longing to see them and to be away.  The last year of pandemic has been long and hard for me in different ways.  One of the great blessings has been my weekly Bible studies as spiritual growth group.  There has  NOT been a time of feeling separated from God. What I have learned - or remembered - is that time with the word in community can really be an anchor to faith - especially in difficult times. 

So, a week away from my beloved companions in Christ - as well as my family - as well as my pickleball buddies - is a good thing.  I look forward to a different kind of solitude and community I find at my brother's home.  And I give thanks for the healing that God has done in my life since the death of my beloved one.

And my faith that says that we are not separated from God or each other - even after death.  I give thanks for where I have been and where I am going.  I give thanks for who I am.

A prayer by Maxine Shonk

May the God of THANKSGIVING be with you,

bringing you to a place in your heart that bursts with profound appreciation. 

 May you be moved to say"Thank you" to your spirit, to your creation, to your struggles, and to your history for the gifts with which they have blessed you.

May your grateful heart spill out into the world that waits for your word of affirmation and your hadn of healing love.

May the God of THANKSGIVING be with you.

BRIN