While thinking about the fact that I had reached the age of 52 Monday and that I am in pretty good health to my knowledge, I really gave a lot of thought to how blessed I am.

I have a great family, good job, really good friends and live in a community that would be hard to beat, unless of course I lived at the beach somewhere.

I am involved with several groups that work hard to make Hartselle a better place to call home. I am a member of a church that supports those down on their luck and has as their mission statement to “go out and make disciples” and is filled with folks who really care about each other.

However, when one stops to really think about what being blessed means, we tend to place worldly things on our list instead of eternal ones. Sure, we feel blessed to have a warm home, a job that enables us live the lifestyle that we have become accustomed and even good health. But what about those who do not have good health, a close family or even a decent roof over their heads? Are those folks not blessed as well?

Actually, the blessings that should really mean the most to us are those that will make a difference to our eternal lives. While many go through life without a lot of thought to eternity, each of us has this in our future. The choice then is up to us as to where we will choose to spend it.

God prepared the way for us by which we can spend eternity with Him, but He also gave to each of us the “freewill to accept His gift of salvation.” By the death and resurrection of Jesus we can receive this blessing of salvation and be assured of our eternal destination.

I used the phrase of “blessed and highly favored” to describe how I feel about my life. While researching this phrase, some commented that many use this phrase without really understanding its deeper meaning. As in all things, it is usually better to keep things simple. Many times we try to come up with a deeper meaning than what is really just plain truth.

When we are God’s child we are blessed with the hope of an eternal home with Him, power from above to handle all that life can throw at us and the blessed assurance that all our needs will be met and we will never be truly alone.

I think this sounds pretty favored to me, so I am going to continue expressing that I am “blessed and highly favored.”

Randy Garrison is the president and publisher of the Hartselle Enquirer.