In this place where I am, recovering from yet another surgery, God has brought me to a complete standstill. He has given, one may even say forced, me to spend more time in His Word, more time in His presence, more time being still, and more time in contemplation.
A devotion that I read on one of my favorite sites - www.(in)courage.me - has had me pondering my blessings. Granted, I've been pondering them ever since I came to a standstill, but God has brought things into a little better focus for me.
I have realized that I have had different seasons of blessings in my life and that often periods of waiting have brought me to places of blessings.
This is not so hard to believe because God's ways are so much different and higher than our ways.
When I was very young, I believed that blessings were something that I assumed came with life. I enjoyed them, gleefully, and one might say I took them for granted. Maybe that is the beauty of youth that we don't question them; we just take them from God's hand and enjoy them.
As I grew up and began maturing, I would say that I still held onto the notion that life was a big bowl of cherries. I would eagerly eat up the first sweet bites of blessings, but instead of pausing to enjoy the sweet goodness on my tongue and just savor the moment, I would begin digging down deeper to the next level of goodness and blessings and sweetness.
One might say I never dwelt in my blessings long enough until I was plowing headlong into what was coming next.
In yet another season of life, I realized that, as Erma Bombeck would say, with every bowl of cherries there are going to be pits. And if "life was a bowl of cherries, what was I doing down here in the pits?" Life can be hard and full of heartache and disappointment.
I have to say I have experienced some of the most trying and difficult seasons life can throw at you. Perhaps that's why when future blessings came along, I found myself somewhat skeptical and I worried that the blessings I had been given would be pulled out like a rug from under me.
Still at other times, when God opened His hand of goodness and loving kindness to me, I'm not sure why, but I almost felt guilty and would be apologetic for the blessings bestowed on me. When I would see others still struggling it felt uncaring to acknowledge and go on about God's blessings, because didn't these other people deserve blessings too?
Perhaps what I'm learning is that The Blessing Season is not an all or nothing concept.
Even though I'm laid up with a fourth surgery in as many years, I see what a blessing my husband is. We've been married three and a half years and I have thanked God day and night for the blessing of him.
This whole experience has shown me a whole deeper level of how much he loves, and cherishes me, and would do absolutely anything for me.
When the chips are really down you see what someone is truly made of.
So now, looking back upon my different reactions to God's blessings, I draw TRUTH from scripture.
I will not fall into the trap of thinking that God wants me to race from one blessing to the next, or that I need to worry that the blessings will be pulled from my hand as this is not God's nature, nor do I need to apologize for blessings bestowed on me...
The Lord appeared from afar, saying, "I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness." (Jeremiah 31:3)
You, O Lord, will not withhold Your compassion from me; Your lovingkindness and Your truth will continually preserve me. (Psalm 40:11)
I have come that you may have life and have it in ABUNDANCE...(John 10:10) ...preceded by truth that it is the enemy who steals.
No, I will accept the blessings in whatever form them come, in each and every season that they come. To deny them, and not let praise come from my lips, would be to deny grace, and mercy, and love, and hope - the very things God sent His Son to die for.
To deny and not accept blessings with childlike thankfulness would be to deny Jesus' sacrifice for me so that I could have life and have it to the full.
In this Blessing Season....I will savor and enjoy, and simply say, "Thank you, Lord."
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the truth you reveal to me by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. I thank you that you are a good, good Father and your desire is to bestow blessings upon me. Help me to accept them from your hand thankfully and not let worry, or skepticism, or the hurriedness of life not let me enjoy them fully. Help me to know that just as joy and pain can co-exist, so can blessings and trials. Give me the grace to see that you died so that I could experience life and blessings in abundance. Give me the childlike faith to just praise you and say thank you. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.
Be blessed....
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