“What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives everything its value.” Thomas Paine
I find counting my blessings is a spiritually uplifting practice. Provided, of course, that I recognize them. Initially, not all blessings appear to be beneficial. Many come disguised as opposition, criticism, bad reviews, or personal injury. The whole “whatever doesn’t kill me” thing is only true if we understand two truths.
The first is to understand why it didn’t kill us. Like the candy, not all life savers are the same. Perhaps it was never meant to kill me, but to deliver a lesson. Painful lessons are often the easiest to learn and the best remembered ones.
Then again, maybe it was meant to destroy me, but I had help. Whether God delivered me from it, or walked me through it, divine intervention is never beyond the realm of possibility. Then again, my foe may simply have underestimated my possessed knowledge as well as my ability to adapt, improvise, and overcome without melting down. Remember Job.
Whatever the case may be, if I search for the hidden blessing, I win. I come away wiser, more persistent, and more durable. Though I fail, (see painful lessons), knowing I survived makes me confident. Confident in God’s faithfulness to the task of shaping me and confident in my somewhat reluctant acceptance of His design. It also shores up my faith that God will accomplish His plans for me despite my failures.
The other truth is harder to take. I reap what I sow. No matter how good I think myself to be, I find myself falling short of not only my expectations for myself, but those of others, and God’s as well. I just haven’t reached perfection—yet. Those never chastised for their errors are blind, ignorant, and ungrateful.
Actions may speak louder than words, but thoughts scream. Though I succeed in turning the other cheek, if the great desire of my heart is to rip my foe’s head off and drink my coffee from his skull, I have failed. As a Christian, I have found there’s something essential to remember about failure. God will repeat the lesson until I succeed. I will always get a do over.
Treasure your blessings; they give life real value. Paine’s words were aimed at his fellow revolutionaries who, at the time, were failing badly. It would have been easy for them to give up. The price they paid still makes freedom ring for me.
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