Thankfulness

I'm in an Intro to Ministry class this semester which I absolutely love. It's a small class so we're able to discuss things and I find it super interesting to see all the different viewpoints thrown into the pot. We each came from a home church and we each attend a church here in Waco. Each of those churches have given us different experiences. Today, we were talking about the polity, or government, of the church. This is a topic that I honestly didn't even pay attention to until I was called into ministry. We talked about deacons, elders, committees, senior pastors, the whole bit.

At FBC Rockport, we have multiple ministers, deacons, committees, and of course, the congregation. After hearing the experiences of the other students in my class, I was reminded how blessed and thankful I am. I heard stories of abuses of power by the head pastor, abuse by the head pastor, hatred from the congregation towards a number of different ministers, and it just left me shocked. I'm so thankful for a loving church family. I'm thankful for a head pastor that deeply cares about his church congregation. I'm thankful for a head pastor that tells us the Word of God whether we want to hear it or not; whether it's easy to hear or not. I'm thankful for a church family that has always supported me, prayed for me, and loved me for who I am. I'm thankful for my church obeying Christ by sending out members on multiple mission trips. I'm so thankful.

In a number of my Child and Family Studies classes, we get into some deep topics. I hear stories from students that involve abuse, tragedy, hatred, sorrow, and disappointment from their parents. I'm constantly reminded of how thankful I am for my family. I have a family that unconditionally loves me. I have parents that support my actions and show me a glimpse of Christs' love for His children. I grew up in a household absent of hate, abuse, and violence. I'm so so so thankful for that. I hear classmates talk about siblings that don't talk anymore or parents that have caused them to not believe in love. I'm so thankful for awesome siblings. I'm so thankful for a family that has showed me how to live out my faith. How to show people love. How to truly trust in Christ in every situation. I'm so thankful. I'm so blessed.

I don't want this post to come off as bragging because I'm definitely not. I'm simply putting into words how awesome God is. I'm stating how undeserving of this I am, yet He gives me so much. He gives me more than I could ever ask for and I'm so thankful.