The Enemy

Sunday morning was really difficult.  It was the three month anniversary of Bonnie's step into heaven.  The entire latter portion of the week had been difficult, except for Saturday afternoon when several of the church members helped with clearing brush from the cemetery border. 

I've thought a lot about why those several days were so difficult

It seems to me satan doesn't much appreciate it when he feels someone is on the right track toward God. 

The previous entry in this blog got a lot of attention.  I've had several people say that it made them think about their priorities and that perhaps they needed to change them.

I don't really know how all of these things work, but I can just imagine that satan wasn't too pleased with that entry.  I have a feeling he came at me hard because of it.  He wanted to shake my faith, my thankfulness and make me question that entry.  Perhaps that is why the latter part of the week was so difficult.

As the church service was ending on Sunday I was really struggling.  A lady in the row behind me came around the row, stood beside me and put her arm around me.  After church several of my friends talked with me out on the lawn.  As the afternoon wore on, I began to recover. 

I realized one reason the week had been so difficult was that I'd somehow lost my thankfulness for all the wonderful years I'd had with Bonnie.  I was focusing on my loss, not on the blessings I'd had for so long.  I was focusing on me rather than on the one who'd given me those undeserved blessings.  My priorities had already slipped.  Satan was at work to win back the ground he'd lost.

Due to that difficult, bitter-sweet church service and some wonderful people of the church, my priorities realigned as they should have been.  The day improved and I was once again able to give God the glory he deserved and to praise Him for his grace. 

As I shared these feelings with my good friend Glenn this morning, he reminded me of this scripture...

I Peter 5:8 "Your enemy, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." 

Glenn went on to remind me of this old hymn:

"Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your blessings, see what God hath done!

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your many blessings, see what God hath done."

He closed by saying: "It is amazing how often scripture tells us to be thankful.  When we do this it turns our hearts toward God.  The enemy doesn't like that!"

Stretching the point?  I don't think so.  Do you?