Here's a Thought with Jay Daniels

It was December 2011 - a not so banner year for me. I had just started working again full-time in radio after a small time of unemployment. In order to make ends meet, I had to keep a second job as a cashier at the Lynchburg Kroger.  There were many long days then... working 8 hours for the station, then 4 or more hours at the store. I was just happy to get a paycheck, but little did I know that I would receive a much greater gift that December.  It was one of those busy December evenings at Kroger, and the line of shoppers was endless. As I finished with one customer, I noticed a mother in her late 20s coming forward with her infant daughter. They had a full cart of groceries, and I suppose that this was to be their month's supply of food.  The mother looked absolutely worn out from life, but she kept a positive spirit in light of her stresses. One by one she put each item on the conveyor belt, and one by one the total amount due grew higher and higher. Finally, ...

For most folks, there are three cornerstones that build the foundation of our lives. Those three F's are these - Faith, Family, and Friends. Each of these have one key component in common with each other - a relationship. Like any thing worth having in life, these can sometimes be difficult to maintain. We have to steadily work at them, lest they fall away.  This past semester at Shenandoah University was a challenging one for many when it came to relationships. The social dynamic for many of my colleagues was tested because of certain events or actions. A number of longstanding friendly bonds soon fell to pieces because of something that someone did or said. It broke this writer's heart to see the personal struggles that so many faced over these past few months.  There was no exception for this fellow either. Ya know... there are a number of relationships that I wish I had left on better terms at semester's end. There are some that I tried to mend but to no avail. ...

Don't you just love it when God brings a conversation together that focuses on His wonderful plan for our lives? Yesterday, I had the honor of having such a conversation with a dear friend of mine. We shared some of our favorite Scriptures, including these verses from Psalm 63.  Be still and hear the Word of the Lord. "You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you." Thanks be to God.