By Brenda Cannon Henley
What is “this” you may be asking? My answer is, “I don’t really know for certain what your ‘this’ is, but I can tell you with certainty garnered from seven decades of living, many miles of travel, meeting and getting to know thousands upon thousands of people from all walks of life, experiencing great joy and continuing loss, that you know what your ‘this’ is. We all have one.

I can remember starting out as a young bride, handsome husband, heart full of love, great anticipation, plans for a white picket fenced home with gardenias and rosebushes, a good job, and family and friends surrounding our new beginning. As diligently as I tried, and I gave it my best shot, I could not keep it perfect. In fact, I learned after three beautiful children, three new homes, much travel, and years of hard work, I could not even keep it at all.

My husband and I divorced, and today, I wish him happiness and no harm. Thank God, the dear Lord knew my heart and after many more years, brought into my life a tall, handsome Texas cowboy whose heart and mine were on the same page. We had the same goals, dreams, passions, habits, hobbies, and a great love and respect for each other. We had a decade, ten short years, of family, fun, friends, and faith, and then he battled cancer and lost in 2014. For those ten years, my heart and life were filled with all the things I had read about in books, seen in movies, and had desired from the Lord.

My point in sharing these thoughts here at the first of the year with our readers is that if Satan is telling you that what you have is not enough or that your ‘this’ is outdated, out of style, hindering you, hurting you, and you think you can do better by sinning, give it some thought and much prayer. I have watched, learned and listened for years. Satan does not attack and display the end results of his quests. If he showed us broken homes, disrupted relationships, sad hearts, tear filled eyes, we would shy away from sin. Instead, he shows us claims of great joy, money, promotion, travel, fun, and games.

Satan says, “Drink with your friends. Go on to the next bar. Be happy. Have fun. Wear the skimpy clothing. Try this drug and then this one.” I see young men and women (and older ones, too) that desire to be cool, to be with the in crowd, who want to be popular, and sacrifice every shred of common sense and dignity they have to be liked and admired by a bunch of drunken folks who do not know who is paying for their next meal. I have also learned that if the grass appears so much greener on the other side, it is probably growing over the septic tank and you know what that holds.

The beginning of the year is a great time to take stock, look at your life, think about your life goals, determine honestly what you have, and where you want to go in life. Be honest. Dreaming is good and I have always encouraged it in everything I do, but practicality is also good. Don’t give up what God has given you for a chance on something better or more exciting. Your ‘this’ may be exactly what someone else wants from the bottom of his or her heart. Happy New Year and God bless us all.

Brenda Cannon Henley can be reached at (409) 781-8788, or
[email protected]