Missing Blessings

This morning quickly went from my normal get ready for work routine to something unplanned as turning the key to start the car resulted in nothing but silence. I tried again and there was not a click or sputter. Thankfully, there was another vehicle available and the silent car was left behind as I headed to work. When the key turned and the engine didn’t, I had an opportunity to choose my response. I could either let this moment completely throw off my entire day, or I could take a breath and regroup. I can honestly say that I have responded well to these unexpected moments at times, and not so well during others. However, this morning as dogs were barking and I was scrambling for a different set of keys before heading out the door again, a friend’s words came back to me about gratitude for blessings that are often missed during each day, those that we are completely unaware of. 

That thought has lingered with me all day. What blessings am I missing? What am I oblivious too and taking for granted? My world is alive with the nature around me, bright flowers greet the day as I walk down the block; intricate forms that seemed to have caught sunshine’s light. From the darkness of the day after the sun slips around the curve of the earth until the orbital trek is made again, the sky is steeped in beautiful light of the greater and lesser. I have food to eat that is both nutritious and tasty. The house is a sturdy shelter, warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Three beautiful, though noisy, dogs greet my every arrival with great excitement that leaves me smiling in return. Friends near and far offer hands of help and let me help in return. They are all blessings.

But these, though I can certainly take them for granted at times, these seem too obvious. I think I miss the blessings that are more of the kind that hold the next breath, the next heartbeat. I’m aware of them, but don’t spend much time thinking of them, let alone praising God for them. I think I miss the blessings for the events I don’t understand or when things don’t turn out as planned. When my path is turned in a direction I didn’t anticipate and cannot predict, I think there may very well be a missed blessing there.

As I hear tomorrow about the car and the repairs, I will endeavor to continue to both seek to see the missing blessings and to praise God for and through them.    

Patterns of Thought

My head hits the pillow and before I fall asleep, my normal routine is a review of the day and any big events.  I often find myself thinking of things I need to do tomorrow, making a mental list.  Night is when thoughts can get stuck easier, playing over and over in my mind.  Morning is fresh and between the business of getting ready for work and the new day, my thoughts take a decidedly different pattern.  But, it is interesting how morning thoughts and night time thoughts are patterned differently.

Morning thoughts are decidedly more practical and task driven.  Take the dogs out, coffee in the cup, creamer too, get ready for work, and those are the thoughts that are pretty much lined up in my head.  After the coffee clears out the morning cobwebs, thoughts still tend to stay practical.  To do lists, notebooks to jot down things I need to remember to do, and calendars are the order of the day. 

But night time is another structure of thought all together.  As the day winds down, thoughts leave the calendar structure of the day and become more abstract.  It is this time when I find that in the quiet of bed time, my mind can still be whirring and need additional quiet to stop.  It may be a moment during the day, a note from a friend that made me smile.  Thoughts could take song from the sparrows singing in chorus in the bush behind the kitchen.  Memories of family moments, like Fourth of July picnics and Christmas celebrations, can bring a smile as I remember and drift off to sleep.  Dreams of future plans and hopes take shape in thought and reform themselves over and over. 

The do-over wishes sometime creep in; hurts or words that have cut will also make themselves known.  Like a fever that has disappeared during the day, to reassert itself at night, I try not to let those get stuck, though sometimes I am not so successful.  Worries can creep in, taking what should be a time to relax and before I know it I am squirming about, my shoulders tensed up to my chin and sleep makes itself scarce.  Go away little worry, stop poking at me, stop the replay of the words over that do not help!  I was thinking not so much of a specific instance last night, but how vulnerability to these kinds of things seems to increase at night.  

Patterns of thought, morning and night, the patterns change.  

How Long

   I read an interesting question yesterday from the Making Disciples facebook wall, “How much time must a disciple-maker spend with one being made into a disciple?” It’s an interesting question, and may seem to be quite complex at initial glance. I admit that my first thought was to modern culture and somewhere between the thought of the mobile society we live in and Master Yoda of Star Wars.

   How much time must I spend discipline to make them a disciple? Wait a minute, I don’t make disciples. I can help mentor and grow and teach those who are learning to follow Christ, but it is He who makes them, not me. Now that the pressure of making things is off, I can think more about the time.
   We do live in a very mobile world now. People that may have once never traveled much farther than their homes, may now move around the entire world. When the physical distance grows, the time factor mentioned in this question can become quite difficult. Communication, even through the social media technology available currently, can still be quite different than talking in person. In addition, the person needed and most suited to work with that individual at that time, may not be the person to grow with them and teach them later. That is the beauty of the body, each piece functioning as it should.
   So, I will go back to my original answer of my post – “as much time as we are given.” As God moves us along our own lives, He will move us in and out of these places, so we are both “made.”

Repetitive Repeating Repeats

    The alarm clock goes off and the chimes just keep chiming in my ears. I move the switch to the off position and then fall back into bed, pull the covers back up, and resume my sleepy thoughts. Pillowing up the sheets and covers until I am completely surrounded, I start the morning argument in my head.

“Get up”
“Not! It’s warm here. I am not moving!”
“Get up. There are things to get done.”
“Didn’t you hear me before? No way! No no no! You are tired, pooped, exhausted, wiped out. What do
     you think you are doing getting out of that bed? You need to stay in.”
“I’m not tired, I just got 8 hours of sleep.”
“Tired, sleepy. Close your eyes and go to sleep. Just soak the heat in, cuddle up with the flannels and the
    pillows and the blankets.”
“Yaawwwwnnnnnn!!!! Maybe I am tired.”
“See, you just yawned – I told you you were tired!”
“No, I’m not tired. Stop that. I have to get up!”
   The argument generally goes on like this for a few minutes until I convince myself that I have to really get out of bed or start really running late for the day. What amazes me is that I really am telling myself over and over is that I’m tired. I just slept for hours! How could I possibly be tired? I’m not tired, I’m just not awake yet. And not being a morning person, that is saying something. It amazes me that the repetition in the conversation can just about convince me that I really am tired. There is enormous power in repetitive things in your mind, over and over. If I can convince myself that I am tired in just a few half awake moments, how tired will I be if that is what I tell myself over and over throughout the day?
   We all have little things that turn over in our minds. We must take the time and effort to acknowledge what is there and determine if it is something good or not. If not, we must change the pattern. Let’s repeat things over which involve being kind, capable, and loving. Let’s repeat ideas of mercy and gratitude. Take charge of your thoughts and that is a repetitive power indeed.

Have you thought about?

   When things are humming along smoothly, it is easy to complete forget about how they got started. For instance, have you ever thought about how it was decided to have multiple branches of government and what each would look like? How did letters become shaped they way they were? Who first had the idea of a light bulb, a car, a computer, or a hot water heater? Who had the idea of the different inventions around us and then pursued it enough to either creation or the encouragement of others? Who thought of wiring or pipes or carpet? Trade, taxes, laws, and infrastructure – it all becomes something that we don’t even think about, just simply accepted. But, each of these had a beginning, a brainstorm and then action.

   There have been many inventions, decisions, discoveries, and designs made. It is easy to forget that each started from an idea. What idea do you have that could result in the next invention, decision, discovery, or design?

One Thing to Say on the Stage

The concert is going on, and the lead singer comes out father on the stage…. “I’ve just got one thing to say.” And generally there is some inane statement that comes out after that. What if you had a moment on stage, something to announce to thousands of people at one time, what would you say?
Standing on the stage, what would you talk about, share? If you could leave one thought or impression with these people, what would it be? With some people, you may only have a moment of interaction, one moment on the stage in life. What will you say, will you impact that life?

Thank you
                                                                             God loves you
                               Good morning
                                                                                                                                      How are you
                                                                                                              Can I help
                Will you help
                                                                    This is beautiful
                                                                                                                    You are amazing
Grace
                                                 Peace
                                                                                                   Hope
                                Joy
                                                                                                                                     Love
Can I pray for you
                                                                   Will you pray for me
                                        Believe