The Lord has given us new life in Christ, raising our dead souls to life eternal so we give thanks to Him, we bless His name as the highest priority in our life. Before hugging her son, the Shunammite gave thanks to the Lord; how much more ought we give thanks to the Lord in worship as the highest priority of our lives, for He has given us eternal life!

So she went in, fell at his feet, and bowed to the ground; then she picked up her son and went out.

II Kings 4:37 NKJV

As each of their children approached high school graduation my parents took the family on a celebratory road trip around a portion of the United States. For my older sister’s trip we went west to places like White Sands National Park, Arches National Park, and Carlsbad Caverns to name but a few locales that gave me a love for the vast open spaces the West has to offer. For my trip my father planned an Appalachian Trail theme where we would go up and down the East Coast rafting, hiking, and canoeing, all things I loved to do. One of the highlights of the plan was a hike up Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. However, upon arriving at the base of the mountain in somewhat overcast weather and with young siblings, I became very opposed to his plan and rather than thank him for all the work and logistics to give us this great opportunity I complained.

Thankfully, my father did not react to my unthankfulness as I deserved by calling it a day and abandoning the plan but rather he pushed us forward, and all of us hiked to the top of Mt. Washington.

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