"Define Blessings"

I remember when I fell in love with him. It was the summer after my daddy had a heart attack. He sent me a letter filled with scripture and encouragement and asked me what I was learning while walking through this trial. I knew at that moment that this was the man I would spend the rest of my life with. The weeks and months that followed set the course for the rest of our life together as we sat on opposite ends of the couch talking well into the night about what God was teaching us, how He was changing our lives and what He was doing in the world around us. Though we aren't on separate ends of the couch anymore those talks are still my favorite. I was reminded of that tonight as we sat in a booth, in a quiet restaurant and once again broke the barriers of silence as we filled our corner of the building with what probably seemed like a buzzing of noise to those sitting around. To me that noise was sweet music to my soul. It was the continued building of oneness as I see God inscribing the same message on our hearts. As Matt began to share with me what God has been teaching him and doing in his life I realized that God has been working within my heart a similar message. Matt quoted a scripture tonight that the Lord has recently called him to dissect. Matthew 5:45 "He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." Too often in life we equate blessings with obedience and trials and tragedy with disobedience. Is the one suffering from cancer being punished for a disobedient act? NO! John 9:1-3 "As he went along he saw a man blind since birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" "Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life." Trials, sickness, difficulties and hard times do not always come because we have sinned or are disobedient. They can come as the consequences of disobedience and bad choices, but this is not always the case. There are times when we must face circumstances in our life so that the "work of God might be displayed in our life." So I ask you...define blessings? Was this man's blindness seen as a blessing from birth. I am certain that his parents weeped and mourned their child's lack of sight, but when seen in the light of eternity it was a blessing. Anytime God can receive the glory as the work of His hand is displayed for all to see, then it is in fact a blessing. The day Matthew was diagnosed with a brain tumor a dear friend was waiting in our driveway when we arrived home from the doctor. I don't remember much about those first few hours but I remember something he said, "These are the times we don't ask why me God, but instead why NOT me." This statement stands out to me so vividly because Matthew said the same thing that night at the hospital. He had not heard our dear friend share this with me, but laying on the bed in the Children's Hospital ER I asked Matthew how he was feeling about all of this. "I don't really feel anything right now. I'll just take it one step at a time. At first I thought, why me and then I thought why not me? God will take care of it." The minute something this world finds difficult approaches our lives we begin to question God's blessings. We compare our lot with another's. We wonder what we have done to deserve this trial. Our eternal perspective is all wrong. None of this is about us. How selfish to even think this way! It is all about HIM and HIS glory and HIS plan. I remember hearing Steven Curtis Chapman after his daughter's death say, "When you look at a small section of a tapestry it does not make since and is not very pretty, but when step back and look at the whole creation it is a beautiful masterpiece." We are so distracted by the threads in the small patch that we forget that God is weaving within us and through us a beautiful tapestry for His kingdom's glory. How conceited of us to tag those things He filters into our lives as blessings or curses. My cancer years ago seemed like such a curse at the time, but proved to be a blessing as once it was gone God followed it with 4 little blessings. He used it to accomplish His purposes. The death of our sweet dog Gideon seemed like such a tragedy years ago, but in hinds site it has been a blessings since one of our children is deathly allergic to dogs. God's ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. We must view our life and the circumstances in our lives with an eternal mindset. ALL FOR HIM AND FOR HIS GLORY!! (This is just a glimpse of our date night conversation, but do you see why I love him?) What have you tagged as a blessing or a curse in your life? What circumstances are you walking through right now that would cause you to want to trade places with another? Embrace this life that God has called you to. Ask Him how you can shine His light for His kingdom's glory. Ask Him to give you an eternal mindset as you walk in contentment whatever the circumstances. And Oh, how he loves us oh, Oh how he loves us, How he loves us all.