Missed Blessings

The idea of mixed blessings is an easy concept to understand, but this little girl suffers from missed blessings. As she opens the gift, the kitten escapes. She thinks she has been given an empty box. After her parents encourage her to turn around and look, she brings her hands to her heart and announces “ Oooh, I have a cat.”

One wonders, if her parents hadn’t said anything, how long it would have been before she noticed her gift crouched behind the tree.

When I am faced with a mixed blessing, a blessing attended by grief, I seem to instinctively know how to respond. I separate the good from the unfortunate and find a way to both rejoice and grieve. At least I can make it seem like I know how to respond.

But a missed blessing is a different situation. I miss blessings when I sit right in the middle of one and still continue to complain. Just like this little girl I miss the blessing even when it meows at me from inside the box.

To wit:

I’m frustrated trying to get information or access for one of my contract jobs.

          Ooops -- I have work.

My body continually reminds me that I am getting older and more tired, less strong and less capable.

          Ooops -- I have good health.

I made a mistake ordering online and ended up driving over ten miles to pick up my pizza.

          Ooops -- I have money for food.

I got to spend time with my kids for the second time this Christmas.

Car seat warmers work to keep pizza warm.

I have seat warmers in my car.

Which is no small thing given the kinds of winters we have in Nebraska – oops

          I have a car with seat warmers.

It appears I need more practice with the “Search for Missed Blessings” game. My goal for this year is to turn around and look for the missed blessing. What God gives me rarely runs away and hides. Instead, my blessings sit on my lap and beg for my attention.

I rejoice in God’s love and care for me. I rejoice in my opportunities to worship and serve Him with gladness. I pray God fills my heart and my thoughts with gratitude for His mercy and grace.

God loves me. He loves me through my grumpiness, my pain, my sorrow, my joy, and my missed blessings.

God loves you, too. Happy New Year!

Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into His presence with singing!

Know that the LORD, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name!

For the LORD is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100