Bless the Lord O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His Holy Name.  Psalm 103:3

A couple of weeks ago, my wife, Cynthia, and I went on a FamilyLife, Love Like You Mean it Cruise.  Identifying some valuable benefits (blessings) during our time aboard is what we’d like to focus on today.  In so doing, may we acknowledge some obvious ones first. We thank God for our health to go, for time away from our regular routines, for finances to afford such an excursion, and for the pleasant sunshine we enjoyed aboard the deck of a ship cruising Caribbean waters.

A heart-felt thank you is due to Dennis and Barbara Rainey and their awesome FamilyLife Ministry team for their enduring and effective efforts in helping marriages and families grow in Christ.

Overall, there were five special areas of blessings we received while on our cruise; ones we continue to regard as life nourishing.  Here goes…

1.  We got to relax!  The coordination of our hosts on our behalf was extraordinary.  All we had to do was follow simple directions, and to be royally waited on the entire time.  In a way, there were invisible signs everywhere that spelled No Worries – Just Be Happy!

2.  We got to renew!  Those of us aboard were literally showered in what Dr. Gary Chapman (one of the guest speakers) so aptly describes in his book, The Five Love Languages.  Words of affirmation, acts of service, gifts, quality time, and loving touches came at us from many directions. Marriage and family-enhancing messages, relevant dramatic skits, recreational activities, wholesome entertainment, (including dance lessons with a live orchestra) fine cabin quarters, quality food, first-class service, and opportunities to socialize with other like-minded passengers helps to describe the uplifting atmosphere.

3.  We got to romance!  To experience and appreciate uninterrupted moments with my wife, Cynthia, the finest woman on the planet that God particularly brought into my life, was romantic indeed!

4.  We got to remember!  So often we get side tracked by the issues of life and all the circumstances that pull us off track.  It was priceless to be reminded that our Creator, Redeemer, Master, Living God and Father is in the details of real family’s lives, and for us to clearly acknowledge the power we have to succeed as a result.

5.  We got to repent!  Our opportunity to rethink, to choose to change and to move in a new and more dedicated direction in Christ is perhaps our most valuable blessing of all.  Cynthia and I got a chance to look up to the One who loves us.  It was a time of worship to ask for His forgiving mercy and powerful grace in guiding, guarding and governing us within our marriage and families. Sweet doesn’t even begin to describe this eternal investment.

Family and friends, we’re sure this “blessing account” falls short of all that took place.  Nonetheless, this cruise experience helped us to see farther than our physical eyes could look.  By faith, we thank the Lord, the One we need and trust for coordinating such a grand FamilyLife Cruise, for cheerleading  us grow as an individual married couple, and from Whom all blessings flow!

Eph 1:3; Ps 84:11; Ps 92:12-14; Heb 6:7