Sometimes words just fail me. And sometimes words fail the situation – there are no words. I’ve been experiencing this more and more lately, in all the right ways. I hope you’ll bear with this feeble attempt to try and come up with some words, anyway.
I woke up this morning to find that a friend had created a Facebook “cause” to pray and fast for me on October 14 – the date of my surgery. To know that there are people that have lives, busy ones full of jobs and school and kids and ministries, that are stopping and pausing to pray, think, and fast for me is unbelievably humbling. Thank you, Jen, for starting this group. I appreciate and love you. I’m overwhelmed by the blessings of God.
I sometimes pass a little church between Knoxville and Clinton that has a sign that they sometimes don’t change for a while. The message for the past several weeks has been, “To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both sides.” Two weeks ago today marked my ninth wedding anniversary. I’m insanely in love with that girl I met at Bible college, and it’s amazing to me that all these years later Brooke still loves me, too. We have four beautiful, healthy children that I love. Wildly. And they love me, too. They run up and throw their little arms around me, and jump up and down when I get home, and squeal when we have tickle fights, and make the same silly faces as their mentally unstable father. I feel the sun all around me. I’m overwhelmed by the blessings of God.
I’m honored to be part of the leadership team for the greatest church on the planet. To know that there’s a group of people that allow me the opportunity to speak into their lives is an amazing award of trust. I’m overwhelmed by the blessings of God.
Those are some big things, but over the past few days I’ve been thinking about the little things, too. Things that I probably haven’t appreciated enough in the moment:
- Experiencing fall in East Tennessee.
- Grilling out hamburgers, and steaks, and whatever else I can get my hands on with my kids playing in the back yard.
- Comfy and thick white athletic socks, pulled on for the first time.
- Finding a My Little Pony crammed in my briefcase when I get to work.
- Tiramisu.
- The Melting Pot.
- The crisp morning air and a warm cup of coffee.
- Democracy.
- Lazy Saturdays at home playing Scrabble.
- Sweater vests.
- Our nightly ritual with the kids (pajamas, brush teeth, read, go to bed, sing, and end with tickles and kisses…every night the same, each time more precious than the one before it).
- Fresh towels in that basket thing that holds the towels…
I could go on and on. I just want you to know, and God to know, that I’m overwhelmed by His blessings. I’ve been blessed more than I deserve, and beyond my ability to repay. I’m overwhelmed by the blessings of God.
I have a brain tumor. But what’s that in the face of all the thousands of blessings I’ve had in my 31 years? Even if my situation were terminal, and my days were few or none at all…I’m overwhelmed by the blessings of God.
“Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance.” – Psalm 42:5
Make it your goal today to stop and identify the blessings around you, even if things in your life aren’t perfect. I promise you that you’ll find them if you’ll look. And if you do, I’m sure you’ll end your day saying “I’m overwhelmed by the blessings of God”.
