My boss was flipping through a magazine at work the other day when he commented on the caption, “Are You Living Above the Blessing Line?” I never had a chance to read the article, but the title stayed with me. My first thought was there are those who think that as Christians we should all have as much money, possessions, ‘earthly blessings’ as we want, and that might be what some consider the “Blessing Line”. Much like the poverty level drawn by statisticians, if you aren’t living above this line then maybe you just don’t have enough.
I cringe at that mindset, as I don’t believe earthly prosperity is equal to spiritual commitment. However, I do think that many of us think that maybe others are more blessed than we are and sometimes we wonder why God isn’t ‘fair’. I spent time lately with a friend who showed me how blessed I am and how often I don’t realize it.
Like many of you, if there was a digital camera in my head recording my day, it would show something like this: “ Buzzzz…and its 6:00am on another beautiful Monday morning…” Click, yawn, up out of bed, get ready for work, oh no I have to iron that, do we have anything in the fridge for lunch, oh nuts I have to get gas, why are these cars going so slow, I’m going to be late again…
No wonder I don’t see the blessings in my life. Blessings like a warm bed, a roof over my head, cereal for breakfast, hot water for a shower, a great place to work, money to buy gas, and the list goes on. I haven’t noticed these everyday blessings because I haven’t taken time to acknowledge the Lord in the first hour of my day or say thank you to the Giver of all good and perfect gifts.
My friends and I spent a lovely weekend recently, camping in yurts in a park not too far from home, with lots of time for relaxation and reflection. One of the guys quite often would just stop and say, “Thank you Lord”. Quite and unassuming, he was just being grateful for everything around him. That attitude of gratitude is the way he lives his life and it shows in his manner, his lifestyle, his relationship with his wife, and the way he loves people.
I know as I stop to ‘count my blessings’ that I am living way above the “Blessing Line”. My heavenly Father has given me so much and done so much for me that for me to not notice these gifts is sinful. Whether it is Thanksgiving Day, either Canadian or American, or whether it is a grey Monday morning, the words, “Thank you Lord” should be on our lips and in our hearts. This attitude of gratitude should be an unceasing prayer and a lifestyle that honours the Lord.
Reality Check is a monthly column authored by Lorraine Walker and published on SGM Radio website. This column was originally published in November 2007.
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