I am reading the story of Missionary Joanne Shelter, And the Word Came with Power, with my children in the mornings during homeschool. As I was reading the second chapter to them this morning, I read the following quote through tears. It so spoke to my heart and what I’m feeling right now.
I’m in a bit of a hard spot.
Like Joanne Shelter, I have learned that it’s okay to have hard spots. It’s okay to struggle a bit with life and that’s just where I am right now.
I am questioning my purpose.
I am questioning my dreams and desires.
I am working hard to make it through my days.
Also like Joanne Shelter, I agree that the only way to access God’s gifts is to work through those hard spots.
Hard spots may have to be a part of life that everyone experiences, but we don’t have to stay in them.
In fact, we cannot allow ourselves to stay in them.
I refuse to allow myself to stay here in this hard spot that I’m finding myself in.
So, I’m working through…
One major way I am working through is by counting my blessings.
I heard someone criticize Christians who view every small thing as a “blessing” on a podcast I was listening to last week. I paused to ponder this for a while.
It is not my desire to be trite with my relationship with God in counting my blessings.
I do believe that I don’t deserve anything in this life. God doesn’t owe me at all.
In fact, I realize with sobering conviction that the only thing I deserve is death and hell.
Anything that I receive beyond those two things that I deserve is a gift of God’s grace to me…a blessing!
In working through the hard spots, I have to determine to stop, to count, and to specifically name the abundant blessings in my life.
Here are the “blessings all mine” that I am counting this week…
401. a day out with my birthday girls…Cheesecake Factory and American Girl
402. sitting outside and chatting with neighbors
403. finding a new Sunday School class
404. moving school upstairs where there is light coming in the window
405. Keith and the girls sketching together
406. watercolor doodles
407. listening to Will say his AWANA verses
408. a day trip to the Omaha Zoo
409. stopping by Target on the way home
410. cleaning and organizing Jenny’s room
411. wildflower gifts from small hands
412. artwork and goldfish on the table
413. Will diligently putting away his laundry
414. printed scrapbook pages
415. bunk beds for my girls
416. “Jenny’s Room Rules”
417. helping Jenny with needle art
418. sharing about our family at co-op
419. rearranging our living room space
420. surprise March snowfalls
What blessings are you counting this week?