Blessings in small packages

June 26th 

Song for the day...
My Lighthouse by Rend Collective.

I won't fear what tomorrow brings. With each morning I'll rise and sing! My God's love will lead me through.
You are the peace in my troubled sea!

Thank you Ronald McDonald House for your memory foam mattresses and sweet complimentary 31 tote! Blessings in life come in big and small packages... thankful that God provides others to help make the trials of life more bearable.

So often I think we walk around life with tunnel vision. If there is one thing we Americans are, it’s busy. Whether we are scrambling to complete the next task at work or running the kids from soccer practice to piano lessons we are busy. Slowing down has always been difficult for me. Being a minister’s wife, 2^nd grade teacher, and a mother to 4 children, I feel like I wear many hats daily. Most of the time my head hits the pillow at night and I marvel that I made it home with all 4 kids in between activities and tasks I checked off the list. Let’s face it, we are on autopilot most of the time trying to keep up with our over packed schedules.

Life is crazy. But I wonder. Does the craziness distract us from the blessings that come in small packages? From the sunrise you saw on the way to work to a cold drink you purchased before you picked the kids up from school. Life is overloaded with blessings that come in small packages. Do we take the time to see these blessings, or do we brush them off as modern conveniences. God blesses us through the mundane rituals and routines we partake in daily. He is so good and when we claim the blessings given in small packages it changes our outlook and ability to celebrate.

I participated in a book study recently and we read the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. This book puts into perspective the importance of seeing and claiming the gifts God gives us daily. Blessings small and large deserve to be acknowledged and praised for these blessings were given to us by a God whose love for us is so vast He was willing to literally go to hell and back to be with us. If you have not read this book I encourage you to do so. It made me think hard about blessings I haven’t been giving any thought to.

Think about it this way. When you cook dinner for your family, send a card to a friend, or stay late a work to finish a task, you are giving a gift to someone. We don’t always want to be thanked, but when those who receive this gift recognize and appreciate what we have done it strengthens our relationship with them. We grow closer together and the love and respect we feel for one another gets stronger. It is no different with God. When He gives to us and we acknowledge His gift, no matter how small, the relationship grows and we begin to draw closer to Him. God is not quite as distant as He was before and we find ourselves praying more and reading from His word because we want to know Him better. The act of thanksgiving opens the door to a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Christ.

Make a list of what you can be thankful for. Nothing is too big or too small to write down. Acknowledge the gifts given to you when you are feeling overwhelmed or depressed. The ability to be thankful at difficult times can permeate through our human inclination to despair. Make a list of thanksgiving and add to it often so you can not only know but also feel His love and see Him drawing closer to you when you feel isolated and alone. 

Stella update Docs came around this morning and said she is progressing. Still waiting on some tests but she is doing well. She is jaundice so they had to put her under a light. She also can't eat yet without a tube, but they did allow her to eat today for the first time.