Basking in Blessings

Today my family will celebrate the 6^th birthday of my son, Benaiah. Diagnosed with a terminal condition in utero, we were told he might not survive the pregnancy and would certainly not live to see his first birthday. Now a happy, healthy boy, my son has a remarkable story and days like today are a vivid reminder of God’s tremendous blessing in my life. These milestones trigger my mind to look back and dwell on those blessings.

That being said, I can also get so caught up the stress and strain of the here-and-now that I forget about the miracles in my life. As a parent, I can allow myself to get frustrated with Ben and neglect to focus on the blessing he is to me and my family. I get distracted from how truly wonderful my life is because of passing trials or even mere inconveniences.

This can happen with any major blessing in life. The job you once worked so hard to get is now taken for granted. The person who is the love of your life isn’t cherished the way he or she should be. The friend you’ve had since childhood, the one who’s been beside you through thick and thin, you never see anymore because you’ve become so busy.

The things that were once so precious seem to have lost their luster. Think back to when the iPhone first came out and we could hold a computer in our hands, play music, make calls, text friends and even take pictures. Now we get upset when an email takes five seconds to load. What was once amazing is now expected. If we aren’t careful, when the novelty of the blessings in our lives wear off, we can miss how precious they truly are. The miracles become mundane. Blessings become boring. The stunning is now stale.

Make a point to look back at the miracles in your life. Relive and recapture the blessings you’ve experienced. Don’t let their luster fade.

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