Thankfulness and Anticipation

Hello Lord. Here I am again. Words to a song, yes, I know. It was really great seeing TJ again yesterday. I wasn't expecting it, but it was nice. With just a look and a hug he can still make me feel all warm and toasty inside.
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He told me he misses me. I wasn't expecting that either. He hugged me and kissed me on the temple. It was a full, two-armed hug and it was great. It was delightful to be back in his arms again. Thank You, Lord, for all You have done and all You have given me. I have opportunities opening up for me which I don't know that I would have been courageous enough to pursue before. My life is changing for the better and I want to share it with him.

Today's Bible study was Exodus 10:1-29. The plague of locusts and of darkness. The things of the world like locusts trying to devour my soul, and the darkness... Oh, the darkness. The feeling of being smothered by blackness. Thank You, O Lord, for bringing me through it, for saving me out of it. Acts 13:13-29 was the NT reading with the following prayer.
"Have mercy on me, O god, have mercy on me, for in You my sou takes refuge. I will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings until destruction passes by. I cry out to You, O God Most High, to You who fulfill Your purpose for me. (Psalm 57:1-2)...O Lord God, O Holy One of Israel, in repentance and rest is our salvation; in quietness and trust is our strength. (Isaiah 30:15)
Thank You, O God, for sending Your son, Jesus, to be my Savior so that I might have eternal life with You.

The following comes from The Gift the New Testament for New Believers:

Through no fault of our own, really, we've become so acclimated to this earth that at times the thought of Christ's return makes us wish He's hold off for a while. We want to see our children marry. We want to take our grandkids out for pizza. We want to see our business flourish, get a home in the country, finally work our way up to a marathon, see the tulips bubs bloom out in the spring, enjoy the only life that we know.
If we only knew.
Christ's coming to earth will be more glorious than anything we've ever experienced--more thrilling than Game Seven of a World Series, more exhilarating than the chill of a mountain spring in summertime, more beautiful than your wife's eyes behind her wedding veil. We will see Him--yes, Him!--Jesus, the Lamb of God, the Lord of glory, the Lover of our souls--face to face, eye to eye, as though He's just been breathless for the day to come when he could hold us in His arms, wrap us in His love, and take us safely home to the glorious place He's made for us. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Jesus Christ is coming back to earth through a real sky on a real day to take real people to a real paradise. Wouldn't you really like to be here to see that? Just as surely as you believe He lay in a manger, He's going to peel back the sky and call us home.

"We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep through Jesus. For we say this to you by a revelation from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord's coming will certainly have no advantage over those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel's voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

"Somewhere, somewhen, somehow, we who are worshiping God here will wake up to see Him as He is, face to face." John Bailie

The following passage caught my eye and spoke to me:
"Now we ask you, brothers, to give recognition to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we exhort you brothers: warn those who are lazy, comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See to it that no one repays evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.
Rejoice always!
Pray constantly.
Give thanks in everything, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
Don't stifle the Spirit.
Don't despise prophecies, but test all things.
Hold on to what is good.
Stay away from every form of evil." 1 Thessalonians 5:12-22
In this passage, we see the three compartments of the human make-up: the spirit, the soul, and the body. And we see the three persons of the Godhead: the Holy Spirit "sanctifying us", encouraging us to obedience, the Son preparing for His near return, the Father faithfully keeping us ready."