This Far!

"Who am I, O Lord God...that You have brought me this far?" (1st Chronicles 17:16)

I am grateful for "this far" today. "This far" is so much farther than I could ever have imagined. "This far" is oceans deeper and mountains higher than a Christ-less Perry would have ever reached.

Normally, I'm looking ahead. I always want to keep going. I'm the chubby kid in Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. I want to eat the grass of God's grace, lick the candied flowers of His blessings, and dive into the chocolate river of His love.

But today, I pause with David to say, "Thank you, God, for bringing me this far and blessing me this much."

My name is written permanently in Heaven's Hilton even though I don't deserve a tent outside the gates. My terribly abused and overdrawn sin account has reached depths of debt from which I could never recover. But "Paid in Full" is stained across my account with the precious and permanent blood of Jesus.

My past is forgiven. My future is secure. What else could I want? It doesn't matter. God gives me more anyway. Every day on the calendar of my earthly life I find boxes of gifts from God. I open His Word and read His promises. I pray and feel His presence.

It's as if He stays up all night shopping for something else to bless me with. And then gently nudges me awake each morning with a smile on His face to show me what He has prepared for me.

Why? David asked, "Who am I?" But that's irrelevant. It's who God is. That's why we've been brought this far.

Before I open today's undeserved boxes of blessings, I just want to stop, look back at the mountains of crinkled giftwrapping and the trophies of His blessings in my life, and say, "This far is way farther than I ever dreamed. Thank You, Father. I owe it all to You."

Halle-loompa,
Perry Crisp