A few years ago, my life was shaken to the core. I was diagnosed with a terminal lung disease for which there is no cure. This caused me to begin questioning everything in my life and my outlook became very negative. My loving wife took this change for as long as she could, then finally spoke some truth into the deteriorating situation. She simply told me that I should focus the rest of my life on all the blessings that have shaped my 80 years on this earth rather than the physical changes going on in my body.
This naturally made a lot of sense to me, but how would I do this? With much prayer! As I began thinking about the special people and events that had been influences in my life, I decided to try and list them chronologically to put them all into perspective. When I started writing them all out on paper, my wife suggested that I do it in story form … like a book. I had no idea how to accomplish this but went ahead and began the process.
She started typing my scribblings into readable form on the computer and eventually took the documents to a dear friend from church to correct spelling and grammar. That former high school English teacher aided greatly in putting my words into proper English, improving grammar, and proof-reading.
As the project developed, we began looking for ways to combine everything into book format. The Lord then brought another church friend into the picture. He had already published two books and offered to help make it happen for me. By creating the correct format for the wording and photos that would meet the publisher’s requirements, he really made printing the book a reality. It was astounding how the Lord provided everything needed from people close to us.
At that point I could clearly see how God used my brokenness over the diagnosis to lead me straight here. Now I was wondering how I could express my story in more than words. At this point, our very creative son stepped forward. While sharing my thoughts about this with him, he volunteered to try and capture my journey into picture form to use on the front and back cover for the book. Other relatives and friends also started contributing photos and ideas that were very constructive.
It became very clear that the Lord was sending the people I needed to make this book happen. As all these pieces came together, I began to see a clear purpose for this project -- a message the Lord meant for me. The real point of this book was not just the many ways God had blessed me throughout my life … but how He had brought me into an awesome personal relationship with His Son and my Savior, Jesus Christ! This gave me great peace of mind about His purposes for inspiring this book.
Through this process, I was able to see how the assurance of my salvation through accepting His gift of grace was accomplished in my life. I had come to understand that as a human, I could never earn salvation through my own deeds. The way to eternal life with God is believing Jesus Christ is His Son who died on the cross to take the penalty our sins deserve. This is the only route to salvation … and it is a gift to all who believe in Him and commit their lives to Him. What started out as a look back on the major events that shaped my life became an eye-opening realization that God’s hand was guiding my path every step of the way!
A great sense of purpose came from putting together this book. I believe that focusing on the blessings given to us, rather than the hardships and difficulties, is the only way to stay positive in the face of life-changing events. For that reason, I named my book: BLESSINGS OBSERVED. Though tough and challenging times inevitably occur, we cannot let them rule our thoughts and lives.
I thank all those who came around me to help make this book happen. I thank my wife for her inspiration and the many hours of typing and organizing. But most of all, my gratitude goes to the Lord for His incomparable gift of eternal life through Christ and for His blessings that continue to be abundantly poured out on me every day of my life on this earth.
You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth
and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to you and not be silent.
O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.
Psalm 30:11-12
