22 Years ago…
22 years ago God looked at this world and said, “It needs a Jonathan Sandidge”. Little did I know, 22 years ago, that God had a HUGE plan for me and that his plan would lead me down this crazy adventure beyond my WILDEST imagination. If you had asked me even five years ago where I would be today, it would have looked nothing like what I’m doing or where I’m at today. Going into ministry was never even CLOSE to MY agenda. You see, MY agenda looked a lot different but GOD’S agenda is bigger than anything I could ever imagine and never fails to amaze me. MY agenda included working in a resort or on a cruise ship, doing what I wanted to do rather than what God had called me to do. I’ve been asked a lot lately “What do you want for your birthday?”. While there are tons of material objects I could ask for, I really just want one thing. I know this may sound a little cheesy, but I want people to know the Joy I feel in serving others. I like to think my Joy and energy is contagious, and so sometimes people ask me where I find my Joy and in all honesty, it comes from the little things but mostly from making other people happy. Today, I had the opportunity to go with my grandmother to visit one of her friends in the nursing home. We took her outside to sit outside for a few minutes and visit. To me, I go outside every day, so it’s not that big of a deal to me. However, to her, she lives in a fairly large nursing home and like everywhere else in the world, they are a little short-staffed, so she doesn’t get to go outside all that often. To see the Joy we brought this lady just by something as simple as taking half an hour out of our day to take her outside, and sit and talk to her, brought me more Joy than anyone will ever know. Again, I know it sounds cheesy, but If there’s one thing in the world I want more than anything, it’s for people to know the Joy of making other people happy. Am I perfect at it? Not by ANY means, but making other people happy really does make ME happy.
Anyway, as I’ve been reflecting on these last 22 years of life, I can’t help but be overwhelmed by how blessed I am. Each day, I find more and more reasons to be thankful for all God has blessed me with. I got to thinking about how I don’t always get the opportunities to Thank the little people in my life. So, that being said, if you’re reading this, Thank you. If you’ve given me a ride somewhere or let me take a nap on your couch, Thank you. If you’ve ever picked up the phone at 2 AM when I needed to talk (You know who you are), THANK YOU. If you’ve ever randomly sent me Pizza Hut Breadsticks after having a hard day dealing with difficult customers, THANK YOU. If you’ve ever picked me up when I’m down, sent me an encouraging text, or brought me any joy whatsoever, THANK YOU. The list could go on forever, I mean that, I really am blessed with some amazing people in my life, and words will never be able to describe how Thankful I truly am for each and every one of you who has impacted my life in one way or another. I CANNOT wait to see What God has in store for me over this next year!!!
Much Love,
-Jonathan