Look around you, friend. What is happening in your real life at this very moment? Are you sitting at your desk at work? Cleaning up the breakfast dishes? Waiting in line? Closing down your day? No matter what we’re doing or where we are, I believe the blessing of real life in this moment is invaluable. Even if it’s not what we want to be doing or where we want to be.
Please allow me to explain.
I’m a big proponent of living in the moment. Of pausing time throughout my full day to soak in what’s going on around me. I don’t do it perfectly, but I attempt to do this as often as I can. Because I believe God is in every moment of our lives. I don’t want to miss Him or what He has for me in any of it.
Sometimes what’s happening around me isn’t what I’d choose, however. Take for example, as I’m writing this, the annoying chirping of a cricket I cannot seem to find in our home is about to drive me bonkers. Seriously. It’s a sound that wears on my nerves, and about this time every year I deal with it. (I guess this is one of the perks of living in “the country.”) And I wonder, why did God create crickets in the first place? It’s not the easiest to find the blessing of real life in this moment.
Or another example of this is from my morning walk today. I was having a splendid time out there talking with God, appreciating the blessing of that moment, when an approaching pickup truck sped by and covered me with gravel dust. Can we all just slow down? A cloud of dust enveloped me, leaving remnants on my face, in my eyes, all over my legs and arms. I captured it in my Instagram stories and tagged it with #myreallife. It wasn’t so easy to find the blessing in real life then, either.
Sometimes we have to look deeper to find the blessing of real life.
I believe God strategically places blessings in all our circumstances. Yes, even the difficult ones. Sometimes the blessing isn’t right in front of us. Sometimes it’s hidden under the muck and the mire of life. And sometimes all we see is the burden, not the blessing.
Changing our focus makes a difference, like with my cricket friend. Since I can’t locate him, I’ve chosen to move to a different space, and I’ve chosen to focus on the good that’s around me instead.
I’ll be honest to say I wasn’t very happy with the driver of that pickup truck this morning on my walk, but instead of allowing him or the dust to ruin my time with God out there, I chose to make light of it and chalk it up to the joys of living a rural road life. That walk was too wonderful to be ruined by a little dust. Besides, it all washes off in the shower anyway, right? (A shower is a blessing of real life too!)
Looking for the blessings can become a fun game with ourselves.
Instead of getting upset at or in a situation, sometimes it helps to challenge ourselves to find the blessing(s). They are there, so let’s find them. Sometimes I need God’s help to see them. As they appear, I try to list as many as I can mentally. Interestingly, the unpleasant situation fades in the background as the blessings take center stage. Try it next time and see how this works for you.
So friend, what blessing of real life are you experiencing today?
Even through your trying circumstance? Even as you’re getting covered in gravel dust? Or even as a cricket is driving you mad? Find the blessings. They are there. Take note of them. Appreciate them. Then thank God for them.
…give thanks to God no matter what circumstances you find yourself in. (This is God’s will for all of you in Jesus the Anointed.)
1 Thessalonians 5:18 VOICE
May we never miss another blessing of real life ever again!
Much love,
Good talk
Nice word of uplifting