Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Difficult Thanksgiving

My Lord, My Sovereign Savior,

All praise and glory and honor to You. Every day Your creation and all its creatures give honor to You.

I am a very blessed man, and my family a very blessed family. We have never deserved Your grace or mercy, but You have chosen to show it again and again and again. We are not royalty in any way, but You have called us chosen ones, ambassadors, Your children by choice, not accident.

Thank you that You have given my family a royal heritage in Christ. Thank you that I am not the first to follow You, but that I was preceded by generations of men and women who loved you and called You Lord. Thank you that we were blessed to spend time and have memories with many of them before You brought them to their real home. I know this world has never truly been home for them, but now, in tears, we are overwhelmed that they now are in Your presence. That they aren't as they were here, broken, pained, discomforted, and longing for home, but they are as You have always intended them to be: strong, joy-filled, healthy, young, and free. They will never again know pain, or tears, or sadness, or lonliness. You loved us enough to keep them here a little while, but You loved them enough to remove them from their pain and give them new and forever health and joy.

Thank you for my Grandpa Moore and my Grandpa Collett, and the many before them. Thank you that they chose sometimes a more difficult path because it was right. Thank you that they worked harder than many because they loved their families. Thank you that they let us know how much they loved us. And thank You for the legacy they leave behind them. Sometimes we recall it too late, but they were mindful of it all the time. Thank You for their wisdom.

May we always be working to perfect the legacy that they have left behind in Christ, so that our children, and our childrens' children, and the many who have been our friends will all one day stand together at our Saviors feet as faithful and blessed. May each day of our lives tell the story of the gospel which now unites them all in heaven.

Lord, this is a difficult thanksgiving because I miss my Grandpa. I love him. We all do. But knowing that You do even more brings peace to our souls.

Yours forever with anticipation of our reunion in heaven, and in Jesus' name,

amen

3 comments:

lundmanzoo said...

How beautiful and how proud we are of you for those words, friend. We praise God for a friend of such strong faith and sensitivity. What a wonderful legacy for the Moore kids...Our love to you Todd and Jenny.

Gipe Family said...

Amazing....your faith in God and trust in his plan is such an encouragement. What a great reminder that when we put our trust in the Lord, we experience peace, not panic. Our thoughts and prayers go out to you and your entire family.
Love,
Jordan,Lacey,Ryen,and Petyon

aakoenig said...

Todd,
I am sorry to hear of your grandfather's passsing. What encouraging words you wrote to spur us all on, to remember our loved ones that have passed and their legacy and to be thankful for them.
I can't help but think that in the midst of this loss, Jenny and you are now welcoming two more into the fold, to raise up and continue a legacy passed on. So as the Lord took your grandpa home, so He also brought two more into your lives to bring you both joy.
Our prayers are with you,
Aaron and Ariel