November marks when Thanksgiving falls upon us, and as such
it seems that a good number of people are posting each day online what they are
thankful for. I thought I would take the
opportunity to jump on that bandwagon for this blog post. In no particular order, here are a few things
that I am thankful for.
Middle School/Junior High Students: I am thankful for this group of kids. I am thankful they allow someone as goofy as
me to be able to spend time with them on a weekly basis playing fun games and
more importantly going thru God’s word together. I am thankful they continue to open my eyes
to new teachings and show me why this age group should not be shrugged off by
adults. Middle school can be one of the
more difficult periods of life; kids are trying to figure out who they are,
what their place is in the world, they get tons of media dumped on them every
day, they want to be kids yet some are being thrown into roles beyond their
years…it’s just tough. I feel blessed
that I get to try and help them thru this four-year stretch of life. I’m thankful that some of them think I’m
“cool enough” to still talk to me once
they have graduated from our age group, makes a guy feel loved.
Technology: I am
thankful that as I write this my daughter is in the midst of a one week trip to
Japan, and thanks to modern technology I can get updates as to how they are
doing and where they are. I don’t
typically over-worry about such things, but it would be tough to not know
anything about what is going on while they are so far away. I’m thankful she gets the opportunity to
travel the world at such a young age, something most will never experience.
Family: My family
rocks! I am thankful that I have a wife
that puts up with my stubborn and perhaps borderline immature ways. I love the fact that my family has a great
sense of humor and knows how to have good honest fun. I am thankful that my kids are all awesome
people who love God and are not afraid to let that be known. I am thankful that God has entrusted me to
take care of a family even when I feel inadequate for the task at times, and no
matter how many times I mess up, through His grace and mercy I am forgiven.
Church: I am thankful
I belong to a church that has such a heart for serving others that it shows in
so many ways. I am thankful for the body
of people that have been placed in my life that have become close friends and
people I consider family, and the impact they have had on my life. I am thankful that we are free to praise and
worship our Lord and Savior and do not have to try and hide while doing so.
There are so many other things I am thankful for that I
cannot write about all of them. Things
like sports, especially dodgeball. There’s nothing like a good clean face-shot,
even if it does mean I’m out of the game. Mt. Dew, my favorite drink in the
history of forever. I could go on and
on.
I pray that all will take a moment during this holiday
season to reflect on the blessings in their life and all the things they are
truly thankful for. God has blessed many
of us with much more than we could ever need, and for that we should all be
thankful. I hope everyone has a
wonderful holiday season, and takes some time to be thankful for all the blessings
in their life. God Bless!
Justin Bowman
