Day 350 - Unexpected Blessings

"I bought A. A. Milne's book “When we were very young” thinking it was about Winnie the Pooh again but it turned out to be a book of poetry. At first we were disappointed but then while looking at the pictures I started reading some of the poems and the kids got into it. Soon they were laughing and enjoying the poems. One especially where the kid was walking on the squares and avoiding the lines so that the Bears wouldn't eat him."

I have often ventured out thinking that something was a certain way and have been surprised to find something else. I can see that throughout the year it has been a reoccurring theme in my life and in my writing. Yesterday's post is proof of that. 

Today I see another side of this thought. There are unexpected blessings on the path we take. It is as if God is up the road leaving gifts along the way for us to find. I am sure He delights to see how we will respond when we find His hand at work in our life and the blessings enjoyed. 

The unexpected blessing of the book I bought last year was not the fact that we enjoyed a book. The real blessing was that I was expecting to put my kids to bed with a story as I normally would and instead found laughter, joy and shared memories with my children. Money can't buy that blessing. 

We may think we are cooking dinner, walking into a meeting or going grocery shopping. If our steps are ordered of the Lord, and they are, then we can be assured that there will be divine appointments and unexpected blessings as we walk in His ways. The blessings of friendship, marriage, parenting, prosperity and success await. 

Have you found any unexpected blessings on the path lately? Should we expect blessings?

Day 116 - A Grateful Heart

"Oh that my praise and thanksgiving could match the blessings that The Lord has poured out on me."

Try. 

I dare you. 

In the same measure that you are blessed... praise the Lord. That is the challenge.

Eventually you will run out of words. There are always more blessings than ways to say thank you. Maybe that is why the psalmist gave instruction to praise Him with instruments, loud shouts and applause. It is not the words that God hears anyway, it is your heart. 

So go on. Try to praise God more than you are blessed. I promise you will still have an abundance of blessings and run out of words. That is where you simply give your heart to the Lord and let Him listen to the inaudible praise that comes form the deepest part of who you are. 

Have you ever tried to praise the Lord more than He has blessed you? What other instructions on praise do you see in the Bible?

Day 17 - Blessings

"I went for a walk by myself after lunch to look around our campus and the sun was warm on my back. What a blessing to live in California. I don't care what anyone says I live in paradise. Even in the Inland Empire it is better than the winters I have spent in Tulsa and the summers in the desert."

Too often I overlook how blessed I am. To live in California, the U.S.A., with the family that I was raised with and now the family that I am raising...I am super blessed. 

In my early twenties I wrote a song called "It could be worse". Sounds like a Billboard top 40 right? I could just hear Ryan Seacrest saying "And now coming in at number 38 "it could be worse"! The premise of the song was that no matter how bad we think we have it we don't encounter the things that people all over the world do every day. That is a blessing. 

I don't fear bombs going off outside my house, I don't have militant people shutting down our church services or throwing me in prison for my faith. I am blessed. 

We had a missions conference last year at the church and on the Friday night session they brought in Brother Yun. His story was amazing. I think it wrecked us all in the best way possible. Many of us shared the sentiment "Are we even saved?!" All that aside what was overwhelming about this man who had been imprisoned, tortured and shunned was his smile and simplicity of faith in a Jesus that loves us. He was blessed. I was blessed by him because I don't want to overlook or undervalue what God has given me. I am blessed to be a blessing. 

What blessings do you enjoy that maybe have gone overlooked? How can we show the value of our blessings?