Strength To Work Hard

My necklace said STRENGTH. It was given to me by some very dear friends of mine who are like family to me. The necklace was to remind me of Proverbs 31… Proverbs 31:25 says: "Strength and dignity are her clothing and she laughs at the time to come." This was great to remind me not to fear the future but to have strength and dignity in my relationship with God. I recently went on a 7 day cruise in the Caribbean, and I met a ton of amazing staff. It struck me while I continuously shared the store about this necklace with countless people that these people need to be reminded daily of the strength they can have through a relationship with Christ. These crew members spend month after month away from their homelands and their friends and family, and they work super hard to make lots and lots of people on one ship happy week after week. Hearing the stories from different people made me realize I needed more necklaces, but I chose to give it to one lady who was about my age, and she was from Ireland. She was a part of the entertainment staff (my favorite team within the ship's team!), and she along with her team members made my vacation absolutely amazing, but they also answered many many of my questions. I gave her the STRENGTH key because I pray she has strength to work the hours she works away from her loved ones, but to also celebrate when the time comes to go home to Ireland and see her family and friends. Be sure to take time to thank and appreciate those who work hard to entertain you. Yeah, maybe it is "their job," but at least say thank you. You never know what someone's story is.

Dear Lord, thank you for the people you have placed on this earth with a heart for other people. Some people are definitely better at working with people than others are. I pray you give your earthly servants a heart after You (first and foremost), but I also pray you give them the strength and the right heart to serve others without envy or anger. Thank you for all of the many gifts you've blessed us with individually and for the saving blood of Jesus Christ. Amen.