November
13, 2003
THANKS
"Now
thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ,
and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in
every place" (2 Corinthians 2:14, NKJV).
Have
you heard the story of Joanne Gillespie? "She had been
diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumor and given six months
to live. But she became a celebrity in England, where she
lived, because of her refusal to give in, and she wrote two
books about her fight before she succumbed to her illness.
She was fifteen years old. Some of her inner qualities shone
through in a poem she wrote that was read by her twelve-year-old
sister at her funeral:
THANKS
Thanks
God for listening to me all those times I wanted to talk to
you. Even though I go on a bit.
Thanks
for helping me when I asked. And thanks for laughter.
Thank
you God for Michael Jackson, loud music, ballet and snowflakes.
For strawberries
and doctors and snowmen and scarecrows. And even some dentists!
Thank
you for families and friends and all the things I don't understand.
Though some may be painful, like war and death and hunger.
I still thank you because you are giving me the chance to
help others.
And when
it is time to put away all things you gave me, please God
don't let me say "Why?" Let me say "Thanks."
--Let
Your Life So Shine, pp. 85, 86.
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