Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Blinded to Blessings

            The bright light of my refrigerator flickered on as I bent over to search for a snack to eat the other day. Three of the four shelves stared at me, empty of contents. My first thought was that by the looks of my fridge, anyone could tell I didn’t have money.

            But God wouldn’t let me think I had little for too long as the truth ran through my mind, informing my brain that I actually had been given much. My culture had told me that I didn’t have enough, when in reality, I do.

            As I was reminded of how blessed I truly am, a knot of disappointment looped in my stomach. How could I be so ungrateful when I have so much?

            Right then, I realized why I didn’t see all of the blessings God gave me—I always look for more. More time, more food, more clothes, more money, more friends, more affirmation, more success, and when I am consumed with wanting more, I blind myself to the blessings that God has so graciously given to me—the reality of already having more than enough.  

            Instead of seeing the blessings, I notice everything that is supposedly lacking in my life—my false needs.

            Recently, I started reading a book entitled One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, and she has challenged me to look for blessings everywhere. Yesterday, I began to mine through my day and seek out blessings of any kind. Do you know what I found? Millions of pieces of the evidence that God is with us—hugs from children, laughs that overwhelm your whole body, kisses of sunshine, warm, fuzzy blankets that melt the chill off your feet, and so many more blessings.

            With every blessing that I write down now, as Voskamp challenges, I get one step closer to realizing how much I’ve been given and how little I actually lack. With every stroke of the pen, I’m beginning to see only beauty, not voids, because I am evermore aware of all I’ve been given from such a gracious God.

            We all have been blessed more than we realize, and we all need to be more grateful than we are.
            Thank you will never be enough. He deserves our lives, and when we just start looking for the blessings, we realize that they’re absolutely everywhere just waiting to be discovered and appreciated.

Living Life Together,


Rebecca Thomas

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