Gratitude.

After I don't know how many minutes on the telephone to India, but being assisted by a delightful young lady named Amutra, I think that I have managed to get my Internet connection back! It has gone off again since I last spoke with Amutra, but I managed to rectify the situation - recalling as much as I could of what she had done!

It's been pretty desperate being 'cut off' from the world. As one good friend put it, it's like losing an arm or a leg! Well, okay, not a physical loss such as that - but I knew what he meant. I have taken the 'net for granted for so long; it's been so dependable; a few clicks of a computer mouse and, hey presto (well it is now the pantomime season - oh yes, it is!) I'm in contact with people all over the world; I can check the daily newspapers; I can order consumables; I can check my bank account. The list just goes on and on. However, as my late mum would have said: "You never miss the water, until the well runs dry"!

It made me think of the love, and grace, and mercy of Father God. How often do I take my personal salvaton - paid for with the very life of the Lord Jesus - for granted? God is always there. He is so dependable. And the benefits that I receive from the relationship that I have with Him are beyond recounting - new life; forgiveness of my sins; the assurance that I will spend eternity in His sweet presence. That list is totally unending. "The unfailing love of YHWH never ends! By His mercies we have been kept from complete destruction. Great is His faithfulness; His mercies begin afresh each day. I say to myself, 'YHWH is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in Him!' YHWH is wonderfully good to those who wait for Him and seek Him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from YHWH. " (Lamentations 3:22-26)

There are many things (and people!) in each of our lives without which (whom) life would not be the same. As we approach the busyness of the mid-winter festival, during which some of us will also celebrate the Incarnation - the entrance of Almighty God, Who dwells "in light inaccesible, hid from our eyes" (W.C.Smith) into our time-space continuum - may we not forget to appreciate all that makes life worthwhile, and He Who is the Giver of all that is good. Let us, over the coming weeks, develop an attitude of gratitude.