Choosing Thankfulness

Today, among many other things, I am thankful that I have shoes. I am thankful that, for reasons I will never know, God chose to place me in a specific spot in the world where shoes are a given for most people. And He went beyond that and placed me in a family where shoes were always a given for me. Even now, I have so many shoes that I probably could not name each pair in my closet if I tried. Sure I know the ones I wear regularly, but there are shoes in there that I haven't worn in a year. So it is hard for me to imagine an existence where shoes are a luxury.

But I've been to Piedras Negras, Mexico. I've seen people who would love a free pair of shoes or even just a hot meal. I've seen people who live in houses made of wooden palettes with no electricity or running water, kids whose faces, not just lips, were chapped from the cold wind blowing through those palette walls at night. I've seen a little boy, Daniel, shy and uncommunicative, who responded to a small bag of cookies by leaping into my arms and holding on for dear life to the love and caring that those treats represented. I've seen another boy, Oscar, a tough little guy, who was so excited to receive a free toothbrush and toothpaste that he rushed home from VBS, brushed his teeth, and came back to show everyone. I live in a country where most kids would laugh if you tried to put a toothbrush in their Christmas stocking or Halloween bag.

I don't know why God let me be born here instead of there, but I feel a responsibility to do whatever I can to share my blessings with others. And since walking is something we don't take for granted anymore because of Bailey's illness, I thought this charity was a perfect outlet. I hope you'll join me in making such a small donation that will literally change the day-to-day life of someone whose feet hurt.



"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
~Matthew 25:34-40

REAL Hope for the Future

In Christ alone my hope is found.
He is my light, my strength, my song.
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones he came to save;
'Til on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied -
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine -
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
'Til He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I'll stand.

-In Christ Alone, lyrics by Stuart Townend and Keith Getty