Col. 2:6-7

"⁶ So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness."


Because of the holiday weekend, the idea of thankfulness has been weighing heavily on my heart! On Wednesday I was reading in Colossians, I thought it quite appropriate that verses six and seven in chapter 2 talk about thankfulness. These are 2 rich verses in my own opinion. First it brings us to the core of our existence- which is our relationship with Christ, surrendering our entire lives to the furthering of His Kingdom. I find it frustrating that so many of us (I am speaking of myself here because I don't know where any of you are at in your walk) forget the way we felt as we gave over our lives into Christ's hands. It is a moment where we cannot see ourselves going even one more moment living this empty life without the sole purpose for our existence here on earth. 
I myself made that choice as a very young girl, those of you that know me understand this when I say that I am an emotional girl who acts far too often on exact emotion that I am feeling at that exact moment, this has gotten me into trouble, but in the case of my relationship with Christ and coming to the place when I knew I wanted to ask Christ into my life it was an instance when it benefited me in the greatest way possible. However in the years that followed and as my mood changed from day to day I also changed my focus. I sadly admit that I have lead an extremely selfish life- wanting to further my own causes instead of Christ's. In all honesty it was not until these last few years that I have taken my faith in all seriousness. 
As I began to realize my foolish lifestyle I felt overwhelmed with the burden of seeing my sin as if for the first time. Where to begin- I thought it was my job to "fix" myself before I could come to Christ to surrender my life fully to Him. This is something that many experience I believe. Saying that the devil is the master deceiver seems to be an under-statement. All this time God had been whispering into my ear telling me that it was not my job to cleanse my own sins, that is His job- no matter how hard I worked to work out the stains on my heart they wouldn't disappear. Once I realized this I gave Him my all (both good and bad) and I have never turned back. I am in no way saying that I no longer struggle with the desires of my flesh, but I have come to a place where I can catch my thoughts and actions as the first begin and I give them up to God. 
When you come to that place where you are conscience of our situation and you have to decided between the easy or the difficult road and you make the choice to take that journey along side Christ (which may mean losing friendships, changing careers, or being persecuted for your beliefs) you choose life- not an empty existence but a fulfilled, meaningful, overwhelmingly joyful life. I experience this everyday, even in the midst of my worldly pain I feel strong and happy because this place is temporary and I know that my God never leaves my side. 
I pray that you experience this wonderful loving God that I experience each and every moment of every day. I pray that you will see the blessings that He has placed in your life. I pray that my honesty has encouraged you in someway. I pray that you give Him full control over your life (past, present, and future) and that you are "rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith" and that you are "overwhelmed with thankfulness" 
God Bless you :) 
Happy Thanksgiving, 
that's my 2 cents 
Amy Jo