Blessed Beyond Belief

At some point, we all go through dry phases of life. We aren't necessarily depressed, but aren't thriving or fueled by anything either. It's in these moments where we tend to grumble and complain. We are less proactive, we care less about important things, and our problems seem worse than they really are. We forget how much we have to be thankful for.

I was praying this morning as I was cleaning and I began to thank God for whatever came to my mind; I was reminded of something that I already knew - I am so incredibly blessed! Yet sometimes in my selfishness, I forget that.

I've been trying to read up on the news more consistently and it's hit me recently how much hurt exists in the world. The stories are so tragic that it makes my little problems seem so insignificant and I feel guilty for my lack of thankfulness. The beautiful thing about Christ is that He cares about all our struggles, no matter how small. He wants to pull us out of those low places and draw us closer to Him, yet we can be so distracted by the problem itself that we forget to look up.

It's easy to become dissatisfied and stuck in a place we don't want to be, but it's also easier than we think to escape it. One of the most effective ways is to simply focus our energy and our thoughts on Christ, praying not only for ourselves, but for those who don't have all the blessings we do.

Have you ever had the opportunity to meet someone who has so little in this world, yet is so incredibly thankful for what they do have? I want to share a story that really touched me. My brother and the rest of the guys in his band went to Africa a couple years ago. They visited a shelter/trama center in the Congo that housed women and children; most of the women had gone there in order to escape their villages. The LRA, which is the militia led by Joseph Kony, would take over their villages - killing people, raping women, and abducting children to train for the militia. Essentially, the women at the trauma centers had run away to save their lives. Here's the interesting thing: they were filled with joy and thankfulness because they found hope in God. Can you imagine going through that and still praising the name of the Lord? If you are interested in hearing more of their stories, visit the link at the bottom of this post.

Here's a challenge: take a few minutes each day to fill a page in a journal of what you are thankful for. My sister shared this idea with me several months ago and at first I wondered how I would fill an entire page. It wasn't long before I realized that when I really thought about all the blessings in my life, it was hard to keep it to only one page. Life is too short to miss out on living a joyful life because we don't recognize the blessings we already have.

Psalm 106:1 - Praise the Lord. Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.

http://sister.americanbible.org/