Thursday; July 1

Happy Independence Day! Okay, okay … I realize this may need a little bit of explaining. Yes, I realize July 4 is our national independence day; but for those of us in Maryland today is the first day in a year and a half that we haven’t had some type of COVID restrictions hanging over us. While things have been gradually relaxing over the last few months, today we are basically free to restore our lives. Just a few short months ago I could not imagine this day; now I can’t tell you how happy I am to put this in the rearview mirror – but before we do, we should probably take a few minutes to express our appreciation. First, I am thankful for the health and well-being of most of the people around me. I had some friends contract the disease, but overwhelmingly, my core group remained safe and relatively healthy. Second, I am thankful for the response of the Lord’s church in dealing with the pandemic. Not only were we able to continue being involved with church-related activities (for the most part), but we were able to expand our outreach to others. Even though our Sunday morning attendance isn’t quite what it was pre-COVID, we are getting there. Finally, I am thankful for the power of God’s influence in the world. I am grateful for smart people who kept us safe (and especially thankful for those who created a vaccine that allowed us the ability to intermingle again), but I am truly thankful that the Lord kept us safe and focused. There were times we were tempted to get distracted, but in the end, the Lord’s church maintained its course.

We all get to celebrate another Independence Day on Sunday. Let’s be thankful for our national freedoms on the Fourth of July; but this Independence Day, let’s be a little more thankful for where we’ve been and the fact that we now have the freedom we do.

Think About It!

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