Blessing has a way of being passed on, like ripples in a pond. We call it many things: karma, luck, positive thinking, God's favor, as if God was up there bribing us with blessings to do what he wants us to do.
Say rather that God has created the universe out of love, patterned after love, and built upon love. Anything done out of love takes part in the nature of the universe because it imitates the God who created the universe. One who builds his life on the foundation of love and truth, establishes a house built upon rock. Upon that foundation blessings will be laid for many generations to come, even to the ending of time, because God sees that it is strong enough to hold them.
But this is no guarantee that bad things won't also happen, no matter how well you build. There will still be heartache, pain, sadness, loss, and death. Sometimes we ask why bad things can happen to good people. This is a silly thing to ask. One may as well ask why storms hit both the weak houses and the strong houses. The storms are coming, whether you build your house on sand or on rock. Build on rock, not because it will keep your house out of the storm, but so that when the storm comes, your house will have a fighting chance.
This picture was taken on November 11, 2011, shortly after I graduated the US Army Special Forces Qualification Course and received my green beret. It was the last time I ever saw my grandfather. I put almost 3 years of sweat and blood into earning that silly green hat. G'Pa put 74 years of his life into building a legacy of Faith, Family, Pizza and Beer. The green hat means nothing, if at the end of my life I do not leave behind me a legacy of love, like the one which this old, bald, toothless hero left behind him.
Ted Pelicano, May 27, 1937 - November 26, 2011
"But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." Joshua 24:15
He was very proud of you because of the start that you have made. Continue to walk in the path that he has forged before you and you'll do just fine. I love you and thank you for this.
ReplyDeleteThank you! It is good to be reminded of the blessings of family, and of the love that they have given. Both my grandfathers have also left behind a legacy of love and faith, and esp. trust in God even in difficult times (eg. WWII and MS). Eternal rest grant to them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls, and all the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteGod bless, Frances