Mixed Blessings

           

              I read recently when a husband gives a gift to his wife, she should love it even when she doesn’t.  This reminds me of a friend of mine who many years ago received a robe from her husband, the wife honestly didn’t care for.  It was the wrong color, wrong length and wrong style.  There was little she liked about it, except it was a robe and she needed one.  My friend still has the robe and he, to my knowledge never knew of her dislike for it.  In honor of her husband’s kindness, she wore the robe and smiled, grateful for the gift!

            Shouldn’t we as Christians be like my friend toward Jesus?  How often have we received blessings from God and didn’t recognize them because we were looking for something else?  What God gave isn’t exactly what we wanted so we snubbed our noses and continued to look elsewhere for an answer to our question…or situation!

            Occasionally, even those situations that are less than attractive can be blessings if we look for it.  It isn’t always easy to see a blessing when we are unhappy, unforgiving, or unwilling to accept circumstances for what they are.

            Sometimes our blessings come from that which is around us.  Our country is an amazing place of mountains, prairies, water ways, breathtaking sunrises and sunsets, flowers the color of the rainbow, sparkling waterfalls, forests filled with wildlife and a variety of cultures which embrace God. Throughout the United States and in other areas of the world, many choose to live lifestyles which neglect a spiritual life.  Many cities, and even urban areas or country sides, refrain from worshiping, sharing or even believing in God.  

            God’s goodness which overflows into His people, compels the world to be a better place to live.  It makes the sunshine just a little brighter, the waters flowing into streams from the mountain sides a bit sweeter, the music a touch more joyful, the warmth from the people a tad more welcoming and the views from this amazing place slightly more remarkable.     

            As we live our lives, we get caught up in all that is around us, involving ourselves in events and circumstances we are sure will bring us joy.  In so doing, we sometimes miss the simple things God gives us every day.  Further, we may miss a blessing because we are focused on what we want, rather than what we need.

The scripture speaks of honoring God with our mouths, but not our hearts.  We must accept our life, look to God for changes when needed; look for and count our blessings every day.  

            God’s kindness is always available, though not necessarily in the form we expect, much like the robe wasn’t quite what my friend expected.  But like the robe that filled my friend’s need, so God is able to fill our needs when we accept his gifts.

            I encourage you to stop….just for a moment….and look around.  I’m sure you will see blessings that have been overlooked in the busy-ness of life.  Look also, at circumstances that aren’t so appealing.  Is there a silver lining?  Are you open to the joy you can receive when you accept His blessings, even if they aren’t what you wanted or expected?