Affirmation #198

  I am a partaker of Christ. Hebrews 3:14
  "For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end." NKJV
  "For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ." JCB

  So, here we are. Even though I thought about taking a break from the list only yesterday, this morning found me looking forward to exploring the day's affirmation. It's a sense of anticipation that has grown a lot since the beginning. In fact, I was downright excited to see what today will reveal!
  Besides, I will be taking a short break from writing for a couple of weeks to walk the beach and catch some sunshine starting next Friday. There probably won't be a post on Thursday because it's community lunch day at work which means an early start.
  Hmmm...There was a time when the list was a chore, a dutiful obligation. Homework. Especially in the beginning. It took a lot to get me to miss even a single day because I felt the burden of commitment or rather, I was burdened by the commitment!
  It was the same when I obediently but reluctantly joined the worship team.
  These commitments now bring a great deal of joy into my life. Why is that?

  At work on Thursday we were given the opportunity to do the 30 Circle Challenge. It's a piece of paper printed with thirty circles. The object is to draw or write something in each one. I decided to focus on the good things in my life, the things that bring me the greatest joy. From butterflies to birthday cake, from writing to walking barefoot, from curiosity to forest calm there is a unity, a common thread that connects all these things: faith.
  It was an answer to a prayer because I've been thinking a lot about the changes since I became a Christian. Somewhere along the line, the enthusiasm and excitement those first years held has faded. Or maybe it hasn't.
  The 30 Circles prove that faith is as much a part of my life as it was in the beginning. It's simply matured. It's been refined and polished and grown. Faith has overcome what might have destroyed me during the dark and terrible days and weeks and years on the Black River.
  Because Jesus was at my side.
  He still is.
  And will always be because I share with Him the greatest gift of all, His Father's love.