I
don’t know why this phrase – blessings that make us believe – came to me, when
I sat down to write this morning. Maybe I saw it online or while reading a book. Regardless, now I want to spend time pondering
what it could mean for maybe you and me today.
When
I think about my blessings, I have so many that their number is too high to
spend time counting. I wouldn’t get
anything else done! But what about those
things (places, people, events) that happen to all of us that at first
glance don’t appear to be blessings at all?
Throughout
my years of study and having a spiritual director, I’ve had times to
figuratively imagine (and literally draw) a timeline of my life. But it wouldn’t really be a straight line,
because looking back at my life, it has never gone just directly forward. What about you? If you drew the timeline of your life – no
matter how long or how short – would it be simply a straight line?
My
timeline, when I drew it, had dips and drop offs, curves and canyons, high and low points. And some of what I’ve considered the lowest points have been the times when I felt most alone – alienated from good people
and also from God. The times when my
life would curve around (and around!), was I making progress - by going deeper –
or was I just spinning my wheels? What
about you? What made your lowest
times? What caused them? How do you see them now?
I
think if I’d drawn a timeline during my early adult life, I probably would have
looked outside myself to explain the worst times, blaming others for my life being in the pits. And during those same years, I probably
would have seen most of my good times as being of my own making.
Ah,
but then one gets older and hopefully wiser…
And not the wisdom from life experience or reading good books, but a
more important, timeless wisdom: Awareness
that we are more than just physical beings; we are body, mind, and spirit. All three are equally
important – and I will daresay that our spiritual side is the most important of
the three (I know you had to see that coming).
If
we go about each day, living in the wisdom gained from body, mind, and spirit, we
become aware of everything in life being a blessing in one way or another. We learn from each bad time; we grow when we
have to reach out for help; we begin to wonder if we were created for something
other than just living a convenient, comfortable, and easy life. Then we start to look for our purpose – and once
that happens, watch out! Our hearts open
to the life we were meant to live – the life that God is beckoning us to have
with the Spirit. And once our hearts are
open to Possibility, our lives are never the same.
There
is nothing we experience without God's presence. Wisdom
helps us realize that God is with us always and no matter what – when we spin
our wheels, take two steps back, or fall into a deep hole. It’s part of seeing “God in all things.” And everything – eventually – can then become blessing. 💙
