Blessings

Every day, whether we realize it or not, we have blessings. Things that we are thankful for, that impact us in big or small ways. Now let me say this; a blessing does not have to be super profound, deep, or noticeable, in order to exist, or have an impact on you. A few years ago, a woman by the name of Ann Voskamp wrote a book entitled "One Thousand Gifts". In the book, Ann writes down one thousand things that has blessed her throughout the years. In order to reach one thousand, she had to step out of the traditional idea of a blessing, and write down things that the everyday person might not think about. At the end of the book, she challenges the reader to make their own list of one thousand gifts. Here are some of my blessings:

1. My brothers
2. My parents
3. My friends
4. My dog
5. Running water
6. Fresh Air
7. The stars in the sky
8. The warmth of the sun
9. Laughter
10. Joy
11. The feel of the wind at my back
12. The way the trees sway in the wind.
13. The sound of a babbling brook
14. The way the sun pierces through the trees and makes light in the shadows
15. The dirt road that leads into the woods
16. Waterfalls
17. The sound of the car starting every morning
18. Having electricity/gas
19. Having a warm/cool house to live under
20. Fellowship
21. Quiet times
22. Fun times
23. Playing video games with my brothers
24. Taking walks at night the warm summer air
25. The way the moon illuminates the clouds
26. The sound of the sparrows in the summer mornings
27. The leaves fluttering to the ground
28. The crisp gold colors of the trees in the fall
29. Love
30. Education
31. Peace
32. The Bible
33. The feel of the sunlight on my skin
34. Sitting on my back porch and watching/listening to nature
35. A good book
36. The wisdom of others
37. Finding comfort in times of distress
38. The hard times in life
39. Church
40. God
41. The smell of freshly ground coffee in a busy city
42. The smell of freshly baked bread
43. Working hard and feeling accomplished
44. Good music
45. The way a candle looks in a pitch black room
46. The way light creates shadows, and the way those shadows look
47. Taking that first bite of a big juicy apple
48. The thin layers of fog that appears on humid days
49. Answers and resolutions
50. Standing on the edge of a dock and being able to see the water for miles



Although the list stops there, I could go on some more. The point of this list is to help you redefine your idea of what a blessing is and think outside the box. One of the definitions of a blessing on Dictionary.com states that a blessing is "a favor or gift bestowed by God, thereby bringing happiness." Are these things bestowed by God? Absolutely. Do they bring me happiness? Yes. Very much so. So I would challenge you, the reader, to make your own list. As long or as short as you want. Fifty is a is a good place to start, but why stop there? You could even reach one thousand if you thought long and hard enough. The point of all of this is to realize, how much God has truly given us.  How often do we take the time to appreciate the things God has blessed us with? I would go as far to say that anyone could reach a list of 10,000 gifts if they wanted to!

Take the time today to think about how blessed we really are.


Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!
-Psalm 34:8