A real eye opener

Jack took a long look at his speedometer before slowing down: 73 in a 55 zone. Fourth time in as many months. How could a guy get caught so often? When his car had slowed to 10 miles an hour, Jack pulled over, but only partially. Let the cop worry about the potential traffic hazard. Maybe some other car will tweak his backside with a mirror. The cop was stepping out of his car, the big pad in hand. Bob? Bob from Church? Jack sunk farther into his trench coat. This was worse than the coming ticket. A cop catching a guy from his own church. A guy who happened to be a little eager to get home after a long day at the office. A guy he was about to play golf with tomorrow.. Jumping out of the car, he approached a man he saw every Sunday, a man he'd never seen in uniform. "Hi, Bob. Fancy meeting you like this." "Hello, Jack." No smile. "Guess you caught me red-handed in a rush to see my wife and kids." "Yeah, I guess." Bob seemed uncertain. Good. "I've seen some long days at the office lately. I'm afraid I bent the rules a bit -just this once." Jack toed at a pebble on the pavement. "Diane said something about roast beef and potatoes tonight. Know what I mean?" "I know what you mean. I also know that you have a reputation in our precinct ." Ouch. This was not going in the right direction. Time to change tactics. "What'd you clock me at?" "Seventy. Would you sit back in your car please?" "Now wait a minute here, Bob. I checked as soon as I saw you. I was barely nudging 65." The lie seemed to come easier with every ticket. "Please, Jack, in the car" Flustered, Jack hunched himself through the still-open door. Slamming it shut, he stared at the dashboard. He was in no rush to open the window. The minutes ticked by. Bob scribbled away on the pad. Why hadn't he asked for a driver's license? Whatever the reason, it would be a month of Sundays before Jack ever sat near this cop again. A tap on the door jerked his head to the left. There was Bob, a folded paper in hand Jack rolled down the window a mere two inches, just enough room for Bob to pass him the slip. "Thanks." Jack could not quite keep the sneer out of his voice. Bob returned to his police car without a word. Jack watched his retreat in the mirror. Jack unfolded the sheet of paper. How much was this one going to cost? Wait a minute. What was this? Some kind of joke? Certainly not a ticket. Jack began to read: "Dear Jack, Once upon a time I had a daughter. She was six when killed by a car. You guessed it- a speeding driver.. A fine and three months in jail, and the man was free. Free to hug his daughters, all three of them. I only had one, and I'm going to have to wait until Heaven before I can ever hug her again. A thousand times I've tried to forgive that man. A thousand times I thought I had. Maybe I did, but I need to do it again. Even now. Pray for me. And be careful, Jack, my son is all I have left." "Bob" Jack turned around in time to see Bob's car pull away and head down the road. Jack watched until it disappeared. A full 15 minutes later, he too, pulled away and drove slowly home, praying for forgiveness and hugging a surprised wife and kids when he arrived.

Our daily blessings

Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! Selah
Psalm 68:19.

I love this verse. It's one of my favorites. We often times take for granted all that the Lord blesses us with everyday. The air in our lungs, the beat of our heart, the sun raising, the rain falling, our work (good or bad the Lord still provided it) our car (or if not a car, our health so we can walk), a nice hot shower in the morning, food on our plates. See these are all things we don't even think about. We just have them and don't bother to even remember that the Lord blessed us with all this stuff. Psalms says He daily loads us with these benefits or I like to call them blessings. Do you hear that? Everyday the Lord is looking out for you and I and wanting to bless us. This is the God we serve. He loves us so so much and is always wanting to bless us. The God of the universe wanting to bless me, that just blows my mind.

So I challenge you, next time you go outside and see the sunrise and the beautiful trees or drive your car or eat breakfast, stop and take the time to thank our God for blessing you with that food, that car, that sunrise. Think of the Lord looking down at you at that very moment and saying "I love you and I want to bless you with this". Always remember. Count your blessings. Even if you are a little down and out, know that He still has you in mind and has blessed you more then you'll know. Take the time to quite yourself and listen to Him say "I love you".