God's Hand in Our Lives

 Thirty plus years ago I had my first Thanksgiving dinner.  I was an international student at Clarion University of PA and a church in town hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for students that for one reason or another did not have a place to go for the holiday.  The memory is rather fuzzy...almost like a dream. It is not a solid memory with lots of details.  I don't have any pictures of it.  I was pretty confused about the whole thing...but I do remember the basement-type location arranged with long tables, decorated with orange-toned plaid, plastic tablecloths and a bunch of strangers gathering around to eat food I've never tasted before.  Fun stuff!

Back then, I had no idea of anything.  I was just a 22-year old completely out of her element...tossed into a new world without a clue of what was going on, college student in a foreign country.  I think about that girl when I look at Grant.  He sounds so sure of himself.  He thinks he has it all so figured out...but in reality...he is just a kid learning the ways of the world in a society that is hostile and very scary.  The thought of him going to live abroad for any period of time, by himself terrifies me.  I think of my parents and I totally understand now their reluctance to let me go.  Who in their right mind would allow their precious child to go into such an unknown world so ill-prepared? 

As I think of these things and reminisce about my journey so far, I remember what Pastor Dan said in his sermon last Sunday: one of the things we can do to recognize God's hands in our lives is to "reflect on all the work God has done in us."

Sigh...

Today, in this beautiful, bright, sunny, blue-skyed November morning, the day before Thanksgiving, I realize I could spend a lifetime just reflecting on all the work God has done in me...from my youth in Panama to those first years in an American college tucked away in the mountains of Western PA to now and for whatever remains of my days on this earth, one thing that is undeniable is the work of God's Hand in me.  

There is no way I could be here this day if it weren't for His Hand.  

His Hand has guided me through the happy and carefree innocence of childhood, the confusion of young adulthood, the anxiety of seeing my youth left behind, the terrors of parenthood, the panic of entering maturity, and will continue to guide me and sustain me as I hopefully enter the serenity of the age of trust.  It has been a lifetime of learning to have faith in the One Who Is Faithful.  And that's how I am learning to let go.  That's what I think allowed my parents, my over-protective, ultra paranoid parents to let me go back then 32 years ago...and that is what is going to allow me to loosen the grip on my own sons today, as they make decisions over their own pathway:  trust in God's Hand on them.

May this Thanksgiving season offer you opportunities for reflection that bring forth the memories of God's guidance, protection and love in your life.  In the Precious Name of Jesus.  Amen!