Recognizing Blessing

Life can be a drag.  We are constantly being pulled a hundred different directions to do a thousand different things for a million different responsibilities.  It can be overwhelming.  Far and wide our most valuable resource is time.  When this resource well is continually being emptied without recourse for refreshment, we will inevitably find ourselves burned-out and weary.  If this happens, a useful way to refill our emotional storehouse is to recognize and celebrate the blessings that we have.

God is good.  More than that, He is our constant provider, the giver of blessings.  Therefore, when we acknowledge our blessings, how He has blessed us, we are honoring and praising the Lord.  In this, the first step in assessing blessing is perhaps the most basic: what constitutes a blessing?  This, though seemingly rudimentary, is partly the point.

True blessings are those things, people, situations, and circumstances, both personal and communal, that are categorically good.  These are blessings.  Once this definition is asserted, the following step is to recognize that blessings, true blessings such as these, are gifts directly from the Lord.  Logically, this means that every reception and recognition of blessing will be naturally paired with thankfulness.

Paul writes in Ephesians, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph. 1:3)."  If we were still not convinced in God's character, James writes, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17)."  The point is clear: the Lord is a Lord who blesses.

The ultimate blessing in all of creation is the gift of the Gospel, which is to be in relationship with the Holy Lord through Jesus.  Every blessing is filtered through this blessing.  Additionally, God's goodness is met with His infinitude, thus, His goodness is infinite.  This means that His blessings are boundless.  Therefore, we should fix our gaze so as to recognize the limitlessness of His good blessings for those who seek after Him.  In this, we will be in a state of constant praise and thanks to the Holy Lord for the blessings He has bestowed.  Thus the malaise of our life will be overcome by our praise for the Lord.