One of the things that I seem to let get the best of me is life. Bottom line here…I am SOOOOOO spoiled (by the way…so are you) and God has been using a 10 month old little girl to point out the obvious to me.
SO…I’m asking God for…
#1 - To Point Out The Obvious
I know that one of my problems is that I tend to focus on what I don’t have rather than what is in front of me.
The other morning Charisse and I were walking around a pond and she kept saying the word, “duck!” I saw two ducks about fifteen feet away and all I said to Charisse was, “Look—duck!”
She immediately directed her attention in the direction I was pointing, clapped her hands and let out a squeal…then she turned to me and smiled.
All I did was point out the obvious. She just needed someone to direct her attention to what was already there…and so do I.
Many times I will get so focused on asking God for things I think He needs to bless me with that I lose sight of how blessed I really am. Here lately God has been pointing out the obvious in my life…and every time He does it overwhelms me.
I’ve got…
- An awesome wife
- A beautiful little girl
- A fabulous church
- A dream team of staff
- Incredible friends
- A nice home
- A dependable car
- A PS III :-)
- A healthy body
And so much more. If God NEVER blessed me with another thing…I’ve already been blessed WAY beyond what I deserve.
Try it…ask Him to point out the obvious in life…and then respond with thankfulness. Which leads me to my second thing…
#2 - To Maximize The Joy In My Life From The Little Things
After Charisse and I left the pond where the ducks are we went to one of our favorite restaurants - Chic Fil A. Before we left the manager gave her a blue balloon…which she played with for the rest of the day.
A balloon. She received so much joy out of a simple balloon. As I watched her throughout the day I could not help but ask the Lord, “Please fill me with that kind of joy over the simple things in life.”
Because I’m a guy…the simple things can easily pass me by. I want newer…faster…bigger…stronger. I want a new sports car. I want a wave runner (a REALLY fast one!) I want three televisions so that I can watch three football games at the same time…
I want…I want…I want…(and so do you!)
But…Charisse is a child…and a child can receive joy out of the little things in life. (Maybe that’s why Jesus told us to come to Him as a child.)
Things like…
- My wife’s smile.
- Charisse’s hugs
- A sunset
- Ice cream! :-)
- An encouraging note
I could go on and on…fact is we all know the bigger, newer (etc.) will not satisfy! BUT the simple things…those are the things we never forget.
That’s just what God is doing in my life right now…hope it helps someone…it did me great to journal it out.