δουλογος: How Blessed Am I.

	H O M E
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Name:Daniel
Home: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
About Me: I used to believe that evolution was reasonable, that homosexuality was genetic, and that people became Christians because they couldn't deal with the 'reality' that this life was all there was. I used to believe, that if there was a heaven - I could get there by being good - and I used to think I was more or less a good person. I was wrong on all counts. One day I finally had my eyes opened and I saw that I was not going to go to heaven, but that I was certainly going to suffer the wrath of God for all my sin. I saw myself as a treasonous rebel at heart - I hated God for creating me just to send me to Hell - and I was wretched beyond my own comprehension. Into this spiritual vacuum Jesus Christ came and he opened my understanding - delivering me from God's wrath into God's grace. I was "saved" as an adult, and now my life is hid in Christ. I am by no means sinless, but by God's grace I am a repenting believer - a born again Christian.
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Daniel's posts are almost always pastoral and God centered. I appreciate and am challenged by them frequently. He has a great sense of humor as well.
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His posts are either funny or challenging. He is very friendly and nice.
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[He has] good posts, both the serious like this one, and the humorous like yesterday. [He is] the reason that I have restrained myself from making Canadian jokes in my posts.
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This post contains nothing that is of any use to me. What were you thinking? Anyway, it's probably the best I've read all day.
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Daniel, nicely done and much more original than Frank the Turk.
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There are some people who are smart, deep, or funny. There are not very many people that are all 3. Daniel is one of those people. His opinion, insight and humor have kept me coming back to his blog since I first visited earlier this year.
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Friday, May 14, 2010

How Blessed Am I.

This morning, as I sat down to take my cycling shoes off, I noticed, a thin thread of metallic gold on my black cycling shorts, consistent, I say, with the long hair of my youngest daughter. I don't actually wish that I personally had hair that looked like spun gold, but I have to admit, I find it cool. Yet when I saw it I didn't marvel at the wonder of God's creation, though I ought to have; I didn't think, "How long has that been there?", as some might have wondered.

No, I immediately thought of a day not many weeks ago when my youngest daughter and I were sitting in the big chair together in my living room, and talking about how her hair had this neat effect in that it looked like gold when you looked at a single strand of it. Perhaps for her it was a conversation that she didn't enter into very deeply, but something of these kinds of conversations linger with a father. I remember the profound sense of rightness and family, I remember the sweet joy of being together, and the wonder I felt thinking about how our Lord has made each one of us different, unique, and a work of profound art.

It is funny how noticing a stray strand of hair clinging to my clothes can send me down a sentimental lane, bolstering the love that I have for my family, and reminding me of God's glory in creation. What a pleasant moment of marvel I was given.

I have previously mentioned a couple who have been joining with our congregation on Sunday mornings. I mentioned their son Joel, who, though not yet two years old, is suffering from a rare and fatal illness. You can about the family through the mother's blog here. The last week has been especially difficult for this family. They love our Lord, and are leaning on Him, and I, and all my church have been before the throne of grace on many occasions, and certainly moreso this week, begging the God of all mercy to visit their situation in the fullness of wisdom and mercy. I am so thankful for this couple.

I hope that today, as you enter into your weekend, you will be thankful for, and full of adoration in, what God is doing. I pray that you gain that godly perspective by which a man may walk through life with joy and life more abundant.

posted by Daniel @ 7:34 AM

2 Comments:

At 11:23 PM, May 14, 2010, JIBBS said…

That is such a wonderful experience to have! And then to have it again through reflection upon it. Wow!

My oldest daughter (age 7) and I have been doing a little Bible study at night before her bedtime. We are currently reading one Psalm per night together and reflecting upon it. It has been a very special time for me! I heard somewhere (I think RC Sproul) that you really don't understand the Bible aptly until you can explain it to a child. There is much wisdom in that saying and it is not as easy as one might think. Kids ask questions. And in a way, the questions they ask are MUCH more difficult to answer than any adult! I am blessed in so many ways to have a daughter who is seeking to understand the things of God.

Oh, and when we read Psalm 3 and got to the part where David talked about sleeping, she stopped me and said, "Hey! He's being chased by bad guys and he's taking a nap because Jesus is protecting him!" That put a huge smile on my face!
At 7:01 AM, May 15, 2010, Sabeian said…

Thank you Daniel, for putting the things I should be focusing on far more often than I do, into perspective. I will pray for this family you've mentioned and send my love to them.