Something To Chew On

Do you ever go through times in your life where you find yourself in a rut?  Maybe you start comparing your position in life to others around you?  You look at your goals and where you thought you'd be at this particular station in life and you feel like you are running to stand still.  I think most people go through this and it was where I was just the other day.  A pity party, you might call it.

As I walked outside, a friend drove up.  This particular friend has had some serious health issues.  I asked him how he was doing and he said he feels so blessed by God.  He went on to tell me that he grew up in a 24 x 24 home with no interior walls and unfinished on the outside with only tar paper covering the exterior of the home. They had an outhouse in the back and used a 5 gallon bucket for a bathroom inside. He told me that he learned to use a cutting torch at 10 years old as their family collected scrap iron to sell, and he told me how rough his hands were from handling the junk iron, "scrapping."

This man went on to have a successful career, raising a family, putting a son through college and despite problems, he tries to focus on his blessings and not his troubles.  It was as if God had sent him to me with a message that I desperately needed to hear at exactly the time I needed to hear it. I thanked my friend for giving me a glimpse into his tough upbringing at a time that I needed to hear it.

Embarrassingly, I don't always count my blessings of things that God has given me.  Things like a loving wife, my three kids, a supportive Mom & Dad and family, good friends, a loving church family, and the prayers of all of those I mentioned.

We ALWAYS have good food on the table.  In fact, I walked inside the back door and I could smell fresh chanterelle mushrooms that a friend dropped off that he picked in the woods.  He blessed us with the 'shrooms' and we shared some potatoes and peppers with him.  The chanterelles were being sauteed in a cast iron skillet with onions and peppers.
 

Right next to it, I lifted the lid off of the cast enamel dutch oven to find smothered chicken with fresh tomatoes and yellow squash.

We sat down at the table and joined hands and sincerely thanked God for His provision.  We eat like kings and many across the world go to bed hungry.

He is Good.  He is Faithful and True.  His love endures forever.

In everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.  1 Thessalonians 5:18