Today a friend who has a daily devotional ministry wrote about building our lives on things that fade, wash away (i.e., sinking sand), or disintegrate and lose their value.  Immediately, I wanted to burst out singing an old familiar song, On Christ, The Solid Rock I Stand, or My Hope is Built, as it is sometimes called.  Thankfully, I didn’t burst out singing (causing Bill to wonder what on earth had happened to me), except in my heart.

Such powerful words are in that comforting hymn:  On Christ the solid Rock I stand, All other ground is sinking sand; All other ground is sinking sand.  You would think that we would get it, right?  But do we?  All too often we turn to other “things”, to unreliable sources - all without a compass - and then we are left to wonder what went wrong?

Since it is still January, there is still time to resolve to do a spiritual inventory, don’t you think?  No matter our age, or other defining criteria, the ground is level for beginning new beginnings.

Just what will I choose to use as my foundational building blocks on which to build this new year?  Will I sink, drowning in my own “all about me” attitude? Or will I launch out in faith to rescue another who is drowning in hurt and heartache?  Will I inspire hope and healing?  Will I seek out ways to lift a brother or a sister’s burden? More important than all of these, perhaps, is honestly asking myself, Am I grateful for God’s blessings in my life?  If I am, I think the answers will be rather easy.  As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.  Proverbs 23:7  I feel fairly certain that Solomon would go along with ... As a woman thinketh in her heart..., etc.

Perhaps you may find youself having a hard time recalling just how you are blessed.  Maybe a sinister spirit of ingratitude has crept into your heart.  Instead of dwelling on negative thoughts and saying Why me, Lord? try to zero in on the little things that touch and bring meaning to an otherwise dreary day in your life.  I have learned that when I do this, I realize how rich I am!

For starters, I’m thankful for nice, caring neighbors.  During the winter blizzard of last week, we were blessed with warm, homemade stew delivered to our door. Talk about taking a risk!  I’m sure our caring neighbor was blessed by giving, but we were really blessed and warmed in our body and spirit!  Thank you, Casey!  The stew was great!

And that’s not all:  In the midst of the worst part of the snow/ice storm, one afternoon I heard a scraping, crunching sound outside and decided to sneak a peek!  There was our grandson, Max, hard at work, clearing a two-lane path in our driveway so that we could ease out, not slide out into the woods, when we made our first attempt to leave the premises.

Another real sweet blessing last week was the opportunity I had to keep a 6-yr. old while the parents were involved with her baby brother’s out-patient surgery.  Jocelyn is a precious little girl, very bright and engaging.  We did all sorts of things that morning, from reading, coloring, eating in front of the television while we enjoyed Sesame Street, playing in the jewelry box (definite favorite – she’s a girl, right?), and we played post office.  She really enjoyed this role.  She was the “mail lady”.  She loved being by my side at my desk.  Scotch tape and a stapler were her favorite friends!  She would write pretend letters to me from Bill, and from him to me, and deliver them back and forth, downstairs, upstairs, several times.  She would peek around the corner at the door to my office, and ask, “937?”  I would say, "Yes, that’s the correct address,” and she would deliver the letter from “Mr. Bill.”  This went on for quite some time.

A while later, as Jocelyn and I were on kitchen duty, she said somberly to me, “Mrs. Velta, I have something to tell you.”  Perplexed, I said, “What is that, Jocelyn?”  She said, very sincerely and with great remorse: “Mr. Bill didn’t really write or send those letters.”  I assured her that I understood, that we were really just pretending and it was o.k.  I assured her that she had not really committed a grave transgression.  She seemed relieved to have gotten rid of that burden!  Confession truly is good for the soul.

But Jocelyn’s frank admission spoke to my heart in a greater, more profound way.  Are we as sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s leading when He invades our agenda, our motives, and our perceived intentions?  Oh, for the beauty of a child’s heart!  Thank you, Jocelyn.  You delivered a powerful message, and may your heart always be so transparent before the Lord.

Lastly, in recounting my blessings resulting in gratitude, there was an e-mail from a friend of many years saying that she might get to swing by for an overnight visit or at least meet-for-lunch visit somewhere on her upcoming journey to NC.  Jan told us that she would be making a trip by plane from Memphis, TN to Jacksonville, NC to retrieve the vehicle and belongings of her son, Garrett, who had recently lost his life in Afghanistan.  No, not lost – he freely gave his life, having always wanting to serve his country as a proud Marine.  We were blessed and honored that our friend wanted to see us and exchange some long over-due hugs, however briefly, as she returned home to Memphis, driving her deceased son’s truck, making her own personal grieving pilgrimage.  Thank you, Garrett, for giving your all for us.

Thinking about Jan and Garrett, and countless others who have endured the deepest form of grief that I can imagine – losing a child – I realize just how blessed I am.  I hope that I can be willing to pour out some love and hope and healing on those whose lives I encounter this year.  In short, I pray that I will be grateful; the rest will be easy.

So, as you perhaps reflect on your new year, keep in mind that as a Christian, you are standing on the Rock, the only sure Foundation!  And, as the songwriter Edward Mote wrote long ago, we have a strong assurance that...

When darkness seems to hide His face,

I rest on His unchanging grace.

In every high and stormy gale,

My anchor holds within the veil!

On Christ the solid Rock I stand,

All other ground is sinking sand;

All other ground is sinking sand.

Believe it!

Jocelyn, always sweet and pretty, on a previous visit to "Mrs. Velta's" house!



Max, being a blessing to his grandparents!
(Daddy Bill, doing a fine job in his supervisory capacity)