The Blessings in Life

Every Thursday morning I drive Matthew to school, head to Dunkin Donuts for a bagel and coffee and then head to my church to meet up with some of the best ladies I know.  Since January of 2012, we have been a steady group supporting each other, encouraging each other, and growing in our faith together.  This spring, we started a new study...1,000 Gifts.

Ann Voskamp wrote a book on 1,000 gifts from God.  These aren't just any gifts, these are the everyday gifts we sometimes fail to see because we are so consumed with the darkness around us.  But as Ann has taught me, it is in the darkest times that God is closest.  "In the tough moments, we need to pray with our eyes open, seeing God's grace and blessings in that moment." (Ann Voskamp)  That being said, our fearless leader for all our studies, my dear friend, Kim, has challenged us to come up with 1,000 gifts.  She's even given each of us a little notebook to journal these all in.  For this blog, I would like to take the opportunity to list a few of my gifts then I want to challenge YOU to start your own list.  There are gifts in everything.  How do you want to live life?  Wouldn't it be so much sweeter to see things as Christ sees them?  "Christ's fingerprints are on everything", "Slow down and surrender to the 1,000 gifts God gives us everyday." 

We all have hurts.  We all have "potholes" in life that have defined who we are.  But we  have a choice to live a life filled with joy and grace that is given freely by God.  God desires to fill even our deepest potholes with his love.  Each of those moments shaped us,  molded us, impacted our lives.

When I was ten years old, my family moved from Iowa to Virginia.  We moved away from family, friends, comfortable surroundings to a place that was different and with no one we knew.  I remember feeling alone, scared to try my new school, sad to be leaving my Grandparents.  But God gave me grace.  At 10 years old, I don't think I understood what grace was but God was with me.  Through that experience, I was better prepared to help my son when we moved from Virginia to Indiana, then Indiana to Georgia.  I was better equipped to guide him, give him support, help him to make friends, build up his confidence in attending a new school with strange faces. 

When I was 27 years old, I gave birth to my son.  I found myself alone and going through a divorce.  I was scared, unsure of my self, and fearful of the future.  But God gave me grace through that moment.  He gave me the perfect gift from a "pothole" in my life.  He blessed me with Matthew.  Today I am so  much stronger, more independent, and have savored every moment of my son's life.  I have been truly blessed with a husband who supports me, challenges me, encourages me, and loves me.  Through the darkest time, God was there protecting me with his hand.



When I was 36 years old, my dad almost died.  I remember the fear of watching his heart stop in front of me.  I remember the shouts from the nurses.  I remember the look of panic on my mother's face.  I remember questioning God and being angry.  But God gave me grace to walk through that moment.  God opened my eyes and showed me to trust him.  God gave me the strength to be strong when my mother couldn't.  God gave me the endurance to be at the hospital everyday until my dad was taken out of his coma.  Through the shadow of death, God was there, walking with me, carrying me at times.

We all have these moments that are sewn into our being, forever with us.  But it's how we use these moments, how we see these moments that truly signifies the grace that God has blessed us with.  Even in these hard and dark moments, "God is always Good and I am always loved", Ann Voskamp.

What will  you write on your list?  What will you begin to notice as joy in your life?  What will you suddenly see differently as if seeing it through the eyes of Christ?  Here's a few of my blessings and gifts of grace....

1. dirty laundry
2. wet dog kisses
3.  a wink from my husband from across a crowded room
4.  an unmade bed
5.  secrets shared with my son
6.  the smell of Matthew after a shower
7. chats with my Gramma
8. an unexpected text message
9.  running water
10.  a healthy child
11. My Grampa's Bible
12.  a soaring bird overhead
13. the sound of a train passing by
14. pictures to capture special moments
15.  being a stay at home Mom
16.  heat from the sun on my skin
17.  curtains blowing in the breeze
18.  sleeping with the windows open
19.  chatting online with my step-son, Jonathan
20.  safe travel mercies
21.  the soft breathing from my sleeping husband
22.  bird's nests
23.  meow's saying good morning
24.  an empty lunch box
25.  having to buy a larger size of clothing for Matthew
26.  supporting parents
27.  help from friends
28.  silliness for no reason
29.  leftovers
30.  fresh cut grass
31.  celebrating birthdays
32.  sharing popcorn at the movies
33.  hearing the dog lapping up water
34.  sound of meat as it hits the hot oil on the stove
35.  acne on my teenage son's face
36.  dirty dishes
37.  laughing with family
38.  calls from my favorite 5 year old niece
39.  sun in my eyes
40. hearing the words, I love you...
41.  hugs
42.  holding hands
43.   your coffee mug left out for you when you wake up
44. fishing
45. a tomato ripening on the window sill
46. sleeping late
47. snores from your son
48. the marsh smell in the morning
49.  knowing the answer to a question
50. a paycheck


Your turn....