Blessings

I have been thinking about blessings. For me, blessings are the undeserved outpouring of God’s grace on our lives. Around us today there is so much hateful language, destructive behavior and uncertainty, causing fear and distress. For some among us, there is grief over the loss of loved ones or worry about medical conditions.

Faith is trusting that God breaks into the midst of all that and surrounds us with blessings.  Sometimes those in the greatest pain, like grief over loss or anxiety over diagnoses, are the ones who, in the middle of it all, name their blessings. I have the privilege and honor of hearing those. Someone might say, “I was blessed to have our family surrounding him in the last days,” or “the way my surgeon explained things to me was such a blessing.”

I have heard those in great poverty list their blessings. That convicts and challenges me to look at all the ways God is working in my life and in our life together. We’ve been talking in worship about connecting our work—what we do in daily life—with our faith. My experience is that those who are able to make that connection are also deeply aware of their blessings.

This Sunday, October 28, we’ll hear from some parents who connect their daily lives and faith, as we continue our 2019 stewardship campaign Our Hands, God’s Work. Responding in Faith! We’ll also hear how the great commission to “make disciples” connects to parenting, our daily lives and faith. Awareness of blessings, you see, gives us responsibility not only for gratitude but also for helping others.

What are your blessings today? Perhaps some are in the past, such as the gift of faithful parents. I imagine that many blessings surround you today. Today is a blessing. Give thanks to God for the day and all the gifts around you.

This IS the day the Lord has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Blessings, Sharon