Today's Bliss: Advice

My sweet dog Scooter had a very rough week. He has bulging discs in his back, causing him pain and difficulty walking. Early in the week I did not know what to do, where to go for help, or what veterinarian to go see. Luckily for me, I have good friends in different realms of my life who have a lot of experiences with dogs and medical issues concerning pets. I received a lot of advice and I really, really appreciated all of it. Scooter is doing much better now that he has some medicine and we know what is wrong with him!

Scooter as a bitty baby! March 2007

 

 

Scooter: in the hood. December 2008

Scooter hangin' at the lake. August 2012

The whole experience this week got me thinking: what would I do without people to help me out? To offer advice, help, encouragement, love, support, guidance, and grace? To tell me their thoughts and opinions? I would be lost. My family, friends, and co-workers are all such blessings to me. I am so grateful for their presence in my life.

God gives us people in our lives so that we can be in fellowship and help each other. I am so blessed to have all of the people who surround me! Look around in your life. Do you see people (whether few or many) who can offer support and love, who can give advice and direction? Listen to them. They will help your life be bliss.

Today's Bliss: Veterans Day

Today we stop to admire, remember, and thank people who have served our country and sacrificed for us. I cannot even imagine traveling overseas in this role...I can't imagine being married to someone in the role, either. The men and women who serve our country in the armed forces and their spouses and children are such a vital part of our country and I thank them for being brave and focused on helping the U.S.A. be strong and protected.

Today I have thought about freedom and what it really means. I am so blessed to live a blissful lifestyle, free to do as I please, worship as I please, love whom I please, go where I please, and live how I please. I am very grateful to people who are dedicated to ensuring that I can live this life.

Let's all pray for the many, many people around the world who do not have this freedom. People who would love just to be able to worship publicly. People who would like to choose who they would like to marry. People who need to hear about Jesus but the Word has been suppressed. Maybe with our support through prayer, they can also feel that they have a life of bliss.

Today's Bliss: Saints

Anyone who knows me knows that I am an emotional person. I cry tears of sadness, tears of joy, tears of exhaustion, and tears of elation. But I cry the most when someone passes from earthly life to eternal life. Even if I am not necessarily close to someone, I cry for their families. The loss of someone who supports, loves, and cares for others is always a great loss.

Death is a natural thing, a gateway to eternal life, something that happens to every single living thing, but I don't handle it well. I think that a lot of people don't.

The one thing that makes someone's death bearable for me is that I have strong faith and I know that someday I will see my loved ones again. And that people who leave me are joining in jubilation with their loved ones who passed on before them...

I am so thankful for all of the Saints that God has given me throughout my life. Today we recognized All Saints Day at church and we lit candles for those who we wanted to remember. I lit several...I could have lit the whole candle display full, because if I really think about it, I know that I have had hundreds of people go through my life who have left a mark. Some people are with me for an hour, others are with me for my lifetime, but all people leave an impression on me. That is why I weep so much when they leave to be with God.

And so now I pause to ask myself: Am I leaving a good, meaningful mark in the lives of people around me? Am I going to be viewed as a Saint? Are my loved ones looking down on me from Heaven, proud of my good works and strong faith?

I hope so. I hope that we all will live the faithful, joyous, grace-filled lives that we've been given in such a way that everyone around us knows that we are Disciples and Jesus Followers. Saints.

And the day that Christ welcomes us to greet the Saints who have passed before us? That will truly be bliss.