JUST A THOUGHT TODAY

Well, the day is not turning out as expected. The same sluggish feel is hounding the neighborhood too it seems, but.. it's okay still. There's a nice gentle breeze blowing outside, I hear the sound of perky roosters crowing in the distance (from a breeder's yard outside the subdivision I think), and a strange symphony of song coming from birds atop tree branches lols. All well and good. Sometimes God's blessings come in small packages. :-) 'Tis something a person should be on the lookout for or teach himself to. Because it's not always that blessings come wrapped up in huge bright paper tied 'round with colorful ribbons and fireworks blasting away up in the startled sky Lols! Sometimes a blessing is in a smile, a loving look, a warm and gentle hug, or in a small kind word.

I like to look at how God spreads out blessings and what those are. It always astounds me to find out that there is so much we do not see around us or in our day. Maybe it's because we were conditioned to look for what is beautiful, noble, or great in a manner of a grand or grander scale, like something drenched in high drama or coming out in spontaneous combustion that blows the mind away. Lols! Yeah, that can be really exciting to receive or see blessings wrapped up in that manner and meant just for you. Makes you feel very happy and special.

It happens, true. But what happens more often are those blessings which come wrapped in 'small ordinary packages', 'delivered by small ordinary people', and via 'unlikely events'. Those are figures of speech of course, but I think you know just what I mean.

A blessing can be..... a baby's cooing, grandma's grateful smile when you hugged her, dad's proud boasting over your achievement, a kind gentleman helping you with your packages up the stairs, a spouse who'd rather spend the evening with you instead of working the night away at the office, a friend who patiently listens to your woes, a bouquet of gorgeous flowers sent by Mr. Anonymous, or someone praying for you.

You know these and I know that you know there's so much more like it.

Have a blessed day, my friends.

WE ARE BLESSED

We never can comprehend the magnificence of our God. See all the love, mercy, care, blessing, healing, provision, protection, forgiveness, guidance that God delights in pouring out upon us each day.

Savor it, receive it, rejoice in it, grow in it, serve with it, and remember to appreciate it with the fullness of childlike humility honesty sincerity and gratitude from the heart.

Understand how very blessed we are. Because we truly are!

MAKE A WISH - IT JUST MIGHT COME TRUE

You know what --- If there is anything which we should learn --- it's to have a WISH LIST. Put in there all those things you would like to do in your lifetime. You could maybe set down a time frame, say ... things-I'd-like-to-do-before-I-reach-thirty or forty or fifty ... or maybe you could do a variation like 'something big-I'd-like-to-do-on-my-birthday', but whatever it is MAKE THAT LIST! :-) Somebody I love just did! Thanks for the lesson, Honey! (That's my daughter in the picture weaving magic into her birthday wish.)

STOP BEING A GLASS -- BE A LAKE

Yes, that’s us -- we are glasses indeed – of different shapes, sizes, thickness, and colors. Interesting in its diversity but a glass is small and can hold only little water. So are we. We have such very small opinion of ourselves seeing ourselves as insignificant people undeserving and unworthy of good things. We hold so little of life in our hands because we do not give ourselves the chance to hold more of what life can offer us. We buckle down with the slightest problem when we could rise above it and cut its power to defeat us. We hold only a trickle of blessings in our lives when we could have so much more. We cannot give to others much – how can we from such a meager supply? We do not believe in a big God because our small minds cannot. We do not get what we hope and pray for because our small faith cannot handle that either.

Be a glass no more.

Rather be a lake --- A vibrant bubbling lake within which all of life runs through. It never gets ruffled by both the big and minute life forces which heap on it all of its burdens of living and dying. It doesn’t mind the stones and pebbles thrown on it because it simply lets it sink down to the bottom lost and forgotten. It savors the raindrops falling or the sun’s rays beating down on its crystal clear fluid face. It reflects all of beauty around it --- receiving and giving back freely. It gives and gives never running out never tiring of giving because it holds even so much more. It delights in being big – wide – immense – large – open - vast. It is there to give life, to teach life, to share life -- there for all the seasons of life unchanging, happy in receiving blessings God pours upon it, and literally opens its heart to anyone who seeks its genuine treasures.

And so must we be --- a lake. Not a glass. Life has so much in store for us if only we believe. God is simply waiting to bless us if only we let Him.