"For I know the plans..."

Good morning!  Today I am thankful  for the hand of God in my life and in the life of my family, friends and acquaintances. 

Earlier this week a friend of our family was involved in a serious accident at work.  This young man works at a lock and safe shop.  He has done this kind of work for about 15 years, I think.  He is diligent and precise when he works.  He moves large...sometimes very large safes as a part of his job.  On Monday, this young man was doing his job.  He was moving  5,000 pound safe from one place to another.  In the course of moving the safe something happened and the safe fell.  Not only did the safe fall but it fell on him.  He attempted to turn away and run but the safe landed on his leg and bounced off.  His right foot was crushed.  The ambulance came and rushed him to the hospital.  At the hospital he was told that he would be taken to surgery where he would likely lose his toes and part of the foot.  When he came out of surgery, he was told that they were not able to save the foot at all because it was completely crushed and there wasn't a good bone left in it.  They had to take the entire foot and part way up the knee.  This young man is a very active 29 year old man.

I know that he must be devastated but you wouldn't know it by talking to him or seeing him.  I keep thinking that if it were me...would I be able to be  so upbeat and 'normal?'.  My friend is not a Christian in the sense that I think of a Christian...he does not go to church and he lives a life that I would not call the life of a Christian.  Yet...the way he has dealt with this whole thing has been amazing.  Me, as one who serves the Living God...I'm not so sure that I could be as positive as he is.

Jeremiah 29:11 tells us "¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."   I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that if my friend hadn't turned to run when the safe fell, it would have landed on top of him crushing HIM and killing him.  God has His hand on us...even when bad things happen.  If we can keep that in mind, perhaps it will help us to deal with what we call 'the bad stuff.'  Yes, it's a bad thing that our friend lost a part of his leg but it's a good thing that he still has his life!  God never plans for our harm.  He plans for our good...to prosper us and give us a future!  Jason still has a future.  Instead of us visiting him in the hospital, we could just as easily have been going to his funeral!  I am so thankful for God's hand in Jason's life.

In my quiet time this morning, I read Psalm 121.  It was timely and appropriate.

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
   where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the LORD,
   the Maker of heaven and earth.

 ³ He will not let your foot slip—
   he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
   will neither slumber nor sleep.

 ⁵ The LORD watches over you—
   the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
   nor the moon by night.

 ⁷ The LORD will keep you from all harm—
   he will watch over your life;
⁸ the LORD will watch over your coming and going
   both now and forevermore.

God IS with us.  All the time...even when we don't 'serve' Him as we should...He is there,  keeping us from all harm.  He watches our coming and going...protecting us.  If we have nothing else in this life that we feel we can be thankful for...we CAN be thankful for God watching over and protecting us.  I know that if God hadn't been watching over Jason, the outcome would have been much worse than just a lost foot.  God is so good that Jason will likely come home from the hospital today!  How amazing is THAT!!!

Thank you, God, for your hand on my life and on the lives of those around me.  Thank you, God, that you have a plan for my life and for the lives of those around me.  Thank you, God, that you watch over my comings and goings and the comings and goings of those around me.

Very thankful today,