We all have a purpose: Take a Stance.
(My favorite picture of my brother).
-Picture by Lisa R (owner)-

My brother is a writer, well not technically (but that’s how I view him, I am older and therefore right).  I don’t know why I mentioned this, except maybe because I have been thinking lately about how much he has changed (in a good way). The person he is now is miles and miles away from the person he used to be. I have the opportunity every single day to meet and interact with people who are weighed down by their problems and circumstances.  People who don’t smile, who find life hard to live. People who are always complaining and can only see the negative, even when the positive is right in front of them. From my brother I have learned that change, REAL change, can be accomplished. However, the individual has to want it. We have become a people that want change, but we don’t want to do anything to earn it. We take pills to mask the issues instead of digging to find the root of the problem and working it out. There is a verse in the Bible that says, “Work out your salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). This verse used to confuse me. I would read it and think to myself, “What does this mean?” Then one day (while considering the difference in my brother), it hit me! It means to work hard and put effort into something until you bear the fruit. My brother didn’t wait for a magic pill. He pushed through the bad until he arrived on the other side. As he pushed he allowed God (yup, God) to clean the areas that needed to be cleaned. Life is hard, and we all have areas that we want to clean. Areas that make us feel less than adequate, but for the most part we continue to live in the filth because we think we can’t change.  Change is within our grasp, but as with everything else worth having, we have to work at it (and also let God do some house cleaning).

So what am I thankful for today? That we don’t have to stay the same. That I didn’t stay the same.