Blessings

I'll just go ahead and tell you that I've been crying, on and off, for the last 30 minutes or so.

I am having a hard time distinguishing what is causing this, but I think...

~some of it has to do with the post below
~some of it with feeling like I AM personally finishing sixth grade and the weight of the world is off my shoulders come tomorrow
~some of it is that my sweet Goddaughter is awaiting her appointment to determine the cause of her episodes
~a bit of it is that my older Goddaughter is graduating from High School next week and I'm basket-casing right along with her Mom, one of my best friends
~and, possibly the biggest reason:  my baby is going to middle school.

So much going on.  And, in the midst of all of it, I hear the most incredible song on the radio, a song I hadn't heard in something like FOREVER.  That is what I love about God:  He knows exactly what you need, exactly when you need it.  And, clearly, I needed a reminder that He is firmly in control.

God is SO GOOD I CAN'T TELL YOU, EVEN WITH CAPITAL LETTERS!!!

If I hadn't been driving, I would have been on my knees, throwing my hands Heavenward, singing as best as I could as the tears streamed down my face.

It doesn't matter where you are, what your condition, what your worries, what your fears, GOD REIGNS.

So, as we count down the hours before our final grammar school chapel with Nickels and we gather around him to bless him with what you see below, God has already prepared a path for my almost-teenage-junior-high son.

GLORY BE TO GOD!

 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Nickels,

God bestows blessings on his people throughout the Bible.  That tells us that God thinks of us in favorable terms, with a mental attitude of love, grace, and mercy.  He has done this for all mankind from the beginning of time, when he so carefully crafted the universe to place us in.  

Even up until today, at this very moment, God provides blessings for us as an expression of His love.  You were a blessing from God to us, as Psalm 127:3 says:  Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him.

Therefore we recognize that you are our son because God had a special reason for placing you in our lives and vice versa.  And, as your parents, we want your life to be blessed by the Lord.  

A blessing is “praise” for someone.  It comes from a mental attitude of love and appreciation for that person.  And, today, we bestow blessings on you, Zachary.

In your short life, you have faced adversity head-on.  And you’ve not only survived it, you’ve thrived after it.  It seems your zest for life can’t be quenched by a few ugly people or comments.

You have a gusto for things you enjoy that is unbeatable.  When you plug into something that makes you happy, you are all in, with nothing held back.

We’ve watched you grow into a young man after God’s heart.  You have a passion for loving the Lord that will do you well as you grow, mature, and learn the hard lessons of life. 

These characteristics are blessings from God that He gave directly to you.  Not everyone can thrive under adverse conditions or find passion in life or become connected to God at a young age.

Our blessing wouldn’t be complete if it didn’t include our hopes for you.  The word “hope” means to desire something with an expectation that it will happen.  Therefore, the things we hope for you are things we believe you can achieve in this life.

Not surprisingly, our hopes for you come straight from the Bible.  You will never go wrong if your hope  is placed in the Lord and His mighty Word!

Psalm 25:21…for integrity and uprightness… May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope, LORD, is in you.

Psalm 33:20…for the Lord’s protection and assistance… We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

Psalm 62:5…for your soul to take comfort in God alone… Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.

Psalm 71:5…for continued confidence in God…For you have been my hope, Sovereign LORD, my confidence since my youth.

Psalm 119:43…for confidence in the word of God… Never take your word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws.

Proverb 24:14…for wisdom from the Lord… Know also that wisdom is like honey for you: If you find it, there is a future hope for you, and your hope will not be cut off.

Jeremiah 29:11…for trust in God to provide for your life… For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Romans 12:12…for keeping your priorities straight… Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 15:13…for joy and peace… May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 1:17-19…for wisdom, revelation, and enlightenment … I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.

1 Thessalonians 5:8…for the protection of God on you… But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet.

1 Timothy 6:17…for right priorities… Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

Hebrews 11:1…for faith… Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

1 Peter 3:14-16...for standing up for what is right and good… But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. “Do not fear their threats; do not be frightened.”  But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander.

Our biggest hope for you is for long after you leave Covenant.  It is for your overall life and is found in Psalm 128:

¹ Blessed are all who fear the Lord,
    who walk in obedience to him.
² You will eat the fruit of your labor;
    blessings and prosperity will be yours.
³ Your wife will be like a fruitful vine
    within your house;
your children will be like olive shoots
    around your table.
⁴ Yes, this will be the blessing
    for the man who fears the Lord.

⁵ May the Lord bless you from Zion;
    may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
    all the days of your life.
⁶ May you live to see your children’s children—
    peace be on Israel.

We love you, we honor you today and always, and we look forward, with hope, to your future.

Mom and Dad