anLooking back, I have to say I have been truly blessed. I have a great family who supports me and is always there for me. I have been blessed with some of the greatest friends anyone could ask for, and I get to Pastor the most amazing church!

 The one thing I think I am missing, is a good memory. I say this, because I often forget how blessed I am; I forget how fortunate I am to have the friends that I do, and an amazing church family in my life. I forget, that I didn’t do anything to deserve salvation, but God thought I was worth saving, and He gave His only Begotten Son for me!

I think this is something that we all forget. We look at our lives and see what we are missing, instead of what we have. We look so far down the road, that we miss the blessings that are right in front of us.

One of the biggest problems we seem to have is this: we are never satisfied. We always want more. More money, more power, more influence, perhaps a bigger house or a more ‘normal’ family. There are a lot of things we want in life, there’s a lot of things that we just “have to have”, and those things keep our focus.

And of course, this misguided focus, is most often the very thing that hurts and destroys relationships. Think about Adam and Eve. They had everything anyone could have wanted; they had each other, they had a garden full of fruits and vegetables, they were the rulers of all beasts, and they had one of the closest relationships with God.

But for Adam and Eve, that wasn’t enough. They wanted more! Instead of looking around at the beautiful garden, and how blessed they were, they wanted something they couldn’t have; the forbidden fruit.

And because they pursued that desire, they lost nearly everything. By focusing on their desires, instead of their relationship with God, they destroyed it.

Christmas is a great time to reflect on the blessings we have received, it is a to be satisfied; a time for us to appreciate and cherish the gifts God has given us. The salvation provided to us through His son Jesus Christ, the personal relationship we have with Him, our families and friends, and the many other blessings we have received.

This season, be thankful for His Presence, and not just the presents!