In part 1 of this blog, we talked about the different types of offerings that people in the Old Testament times would offer to God. If you missed part 1 and would like to catch up on this history, you can read it here.
“May we all come to live in a world where everyone is blessed by the presence of everyone else … May we all come to know just how beautiful such a world can be.”
-Kate Nowak
This time of year I feel called to give gratitude for all the blessings in my life. Whether it is having a warm bed, a simple meal with family or a smile from a stranger, I try to remember that I am constantly surrounded by beauty (if I only choose to see it).
When something difficult happens in our life, it can be harder to see the blessings that exist. I can tell you one thing for sure; if we go around constantly complaining and miserable about our situation … we are making the choice to live with darkness instead of light. Besides, we are not capable of knowing what blessings may be hiding within a seemingly negative experience.
Even those experiences that we see a being difficult can carry the seeds of being a great blessing. It is often only in retrospect, however that the benefit reveals itself. Whether or not that benefit reveals itself and how quickly it does so, is dependent upon one main thing. That main thing is our own individual perspective.
We determine whether something will be a blessing or a curse in our lives by the way we choose to see it.
Life is an ongoing process and most of us meet something at almost we wish had turned out differently. Just because something is not turning out the way we want, it doesn’t mean it won’t turn out to be beneficial to our lives in the end. When we insist on calling an outcome good, when we make up our minds that no matter what, we’re going to see it as a blessing, then our minds start working overtime to prove us right. Magical things tend to happen when we have a positive attitude. That which we label as being a blessing, more often than not, turns out to be one in the end.
We all have a mind that always tries to be right about everything so we might as well use it to our advantage. Let’s focus on becoming a hunter of blessings, actively seeking blessings out in every experience and person we encounter in life. No matter how bad a situation or a person might seem, let’s try to say to ourselves and mean it, “There’s a blessing in this and I will find it.!”
Our subconscious will accept this statement as a direct order and, if necessary, move heaven and earth to make certain the blessing is found. If we follow this regimen for a while we may very well discover that we’ve poked a hole in every problem and as a result, we will misery packing and out of our lives for good. Problems and misery doesn’t tend to stay in an atmosphere of blessings for very long.
“Become a hunter of blessings, actively seeking them out in every experience and person you encounter.”
-Kate Nowak
So the next time a difficulty arises, don’t let yourself get tied up in knots. Take a deep breath and relax. You have nothing to worry about. That difficulty is nothing more than a signal that a blessing is on its way. As you start looking for the blessing in everything, everything else will fade away.
To get us started in thinking about blessings, I have an assignment for you. I want you to think about some of the things you are thankful for and would count as blessings in your life. Take a little time and write down some of these blessings. You can make a list or go into more detail and write is as a letter explaining what you are thankful. You can address your letter to God and thank Him directly since He is the One who is ultimately responsible for all your blessings.
I would love for you to share what you came up with me and the rest of the readers and we can all share in each other’s blessings.
In part 3 of this blog, I will share with you the letter that I wrote to God thanking Him for the blessings He has sent my way this past year.
