Thankfulness

Today we had a furnace dude come and inspect our furnace. After a mere 5 minutes in the basement, I heard footsteps ascending the stairway and the back kitchen door creaking open...

"There are some things I need to explain, and I want to show you something. Basically, your furnace is toast."

Ok, not exactly what I was expecting to hear. He pointed out the obviously cracked heat exchanger and explained (in many more words) that it could lead to flames "rolling out". He made me sign something before he left indicating that I would use the furnace at my own risk until it was replaced. Just before stepping out through my front door, he apologized for "ruining" my day.

Ruining my day?!? Hardly!!! Hmmm...having to spend some significant dough to get a new furnace or potentially becoming "toast" myself along with my husband and two children due to flames "rolling out" of my busted furnace. Kind of a no-brainer!

As I recounted the conversation with the furnace dude and related events with my husband on the phone, I broke into tears--humbled, hugely blessed, and feeling very loved by God. He IS watching over us both night and day!

Thank You God!!!!!!! I Love You too!!!!!!!

Fear?

Last night, around 3am, I slipped out of my warm bed and into the chill night air to take care of business and to get a drink. The house seemed just a bit too quiet and the air had a slightly eerie flavor. I half expected some mysterious dark character to address me, an evil spirit perhaps; the thought of which sent chills up my spine. "Of course", I told myself, "that's not too likely." And then I considered...what if God Himself "showed up" in visible form in my living room in the middle of the night and spoke to me audibly. Well, that thought made me shudder even more. I gulped my water and dashed back to bed (as though it were some sort of "safe" zone).

Anyhow, that got me to thinking. We are supposed to fear God, but I don't think we are supposed to be afraid of him. I know He loves me, but God Himself right in front of me in person would just bowl me over. I mean, He's GOD! But, how does that work with the way it is. God IS here, though not visible. Should I always be bowled over? Hmmm...