Blessings

It is often that I get caught up in the one tiny thing that is going wrong in the midst of my day.  Why is that?  Why do I focus on the messy kitchen or the fact that it is noon and I haven't had a shower yet, the fact that I have endless loads of laundry, the water spotted mirror that I just cleaned?  Why do these thoughts consume my time when there is so much more that God wants me to see?  Like the evidence of tiny precious children living in my house, fingerprints on the mirrors, toy trains strewn all over the living room, cookie crumbs under the itty bitty chairs in the kitchen, or the sound of contagious laughter coming from the bedroom upstairs when they are supposed to be sound asleep...  Or the burst of sunshine streaming through my kitchen window as I sit and enjoy a cup of afternoon vanilla chai tea, the strong embrace from my sweet husband, or the precious email from a friend that I received earlier that day...

There are blessings all around me.  I remember the drive home from LA when the family was visiting Bryan's aunt Karen the other day.  My father-in-law was sitting in the front seat and the two of them were chattering away about the day's events as my two youngest boys sat in the seats directly behind.  Eli was sound asleep and Sam was watching the movie on the portable dvd player.  I was sitting in the seat next to Jacob trying to enjoy some worship music on my ipod.  Jacob tapped me on the shoulder and asked if he could listen to the music too.  I took out one of my earphones and handed it to him.  We were listening to I Surrender by Kim Walker and he began to glow.  He said, "Mommy, this is beautiful music!"  A second later I watched as he reached down and lifted his shirt and then took the earphone and put it on his chest.  He said, "I am going to put this on my heart because I think Jesus would really like this music too."  All the thoughts about how hungry I was and how I had so many to-do list items instantly vanished as I sat with my mouth wide open.  My big five-year-old boy blessed my whole week with such a profound thought.  These are the moments I live for.  The blessings, the gifts that only God can provide.  The sound of my youngest babe babbling in his crib, the precious prayers prayed before bedtime, the gift of a night out as my husband watches the little ones... It's easy to get caught up and focused on the little frustrations that seap into our days, but there are so many more things to thank God and focus on. 

What if I started my day praising God for all the blessings and ended my day thanking Him for the many that I never expected?  What if I had a journal of all the blessings that filled my life?  I think my prayer for this blog is just that... to allow God to remind me of the blessings, the joys, and the little things that are so evident around me.  "Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things." Philippians 4:8.  Whatever is lovely, excellent, worthy of praise... there are so many things, so many blessings!