Being Thankful in Times of Plenty

I am having a little trouble getting it into my head that I am here.  This is not a temporary time of fund raising this is home now, permanently.  Well...for now anyways.  For instance, I have not bought any furniture, I am comfortable with our garage-sale-second-hand-furniture, and I can't get myself to commit to actually investing in something new.  We are still using a desk as a kitchen table and when we need to entertain we set up one or two of the church's plastic folding tables.
This week with Easter coming I have been gathering my precious candy like it was treasure, reminded by my missionary friends who are right now wishing for a Reese's peanut butter egg, that this stuff is like gold!  I guess it is good that I am thankful.  Thankful for what I have.  Thankful that I have furniture, a nice bed to sleep on.  Thankful for the abundance of food that lines the shelves of the grocery stores available for me and that I have the means to buy that food.
In the middle of these thoughts God gave me this scripture in  Hosea 13: 5-6  It was I who knew you in the wilderness, in the land of drought, but when they had grazed they became full, they were filled and their heart was lifted up, therefore they forgot me. 
I have had real times of "wilderness".  Times where I cried out to God and He had to carry me through because I was powerless to lift myself out.  Times where only His divine intervention was the only hop I  had to get out.  In those times I was in my sweet spot, no matter how terrible the circumstances around me I was living victorious, fully relying on Him. He was close to me; He was so, so good to me.  As a matter of fact, I look back at those wilderness experiences as the best times of my life. Why?  Because nothing was taking His place and my heart was thankful. (This is key, my heart was thankful.) But it wasn't He who was closer or better to me, on the contrary, He never changes. I love how the Message puts this scripture: Lamentations 3:22-23 God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out, his merciful love couldn’t have dried up. They’re created new every morning.  How great your faithfulness! I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over) He’s all I’ve got left.     
He is always faithful, always there, always for us! The problem is never Him it is us.  
Easter was my favorite Holiday in Russia.  It's long standing traditions are rooted in the Church. From the Kulich bread to the intricate egg decorating, which symbolizes Christ and the miracle of His life, death, and resurrection and the hope in new life that it gives. It is not uncommon to greet each other on the street during this holiday with the declaration, "Christ is Risen!"  which is responded by, "He is risen indeed!" The simplicity of life and the absence of stuff made Easter in Russia precious to me and the powerful meaning behind this traditional chant was real and raw to me.

This Easter I challenge you to remember your own wilderness experiences and let the fullness of the meaning of this holiday take hold in your heart and fill you with true gratitude.  Don't let your  "filled" life of blessings and goodness allow you to forget the one thing that is responsible for all of them.  Jesus never changes it is us who change, who forget and loose our way.  My personal prayer this Easter is this;
  Jesus, Let the condition of my heart be the compass to my sweet spot.  I want to be as close to you in the "filled" times as I am in the wilderness times of my life.  May my words, and actions always 'give thanks' to you in everything.

                               Христос воскрес! Воистину воскресе!
                               "Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!