Do you ever have one of those days where you are overwhelmed with gratitude and you say, “I LOVE my life!” Well, I had one of those days today (1/14/25). It hits you out of the blue and surprises you because you don’t realize you’re feeling that way until the emotion peaks. Bear with me and allow me to tell you how it all came about.
The night wasn’t particularly restful. Periods of solid sleep seemed to be interrupted by jolting awake. The bathroom called once. Then I was thirsty. I think sometimes I’m worse than a toddler! Finally, the alarm goes off at 5:45 a.m. By 6:00 a.m., I’m out the door.
From 6:00 a.m. until I get to school, it’s prayer time – along with all those wake-up moments in the night. Just so you know, most of you get prayed for between 2:00 – 6:30 a.m.!
It was 11 degrees this morning and the “real feel” was 8. Mild snow is in the forecast. This is my second day driving the bus since surgery and I’m heading to school earlier than normal because I need to get pre-tripped before 6:30 a.m. That’s the time grandpa gets to talk with the grandkids on the phone while they are going to school. Every day, the 6:30 call is made. I have to be off by 6:45 because it’s gram gram’s turn to call. Today was an especially enjoyable conversation with the kids.
6:58 a.m. I start my route and have all the kids this morning except one household. I’ve picked up the last kid at 7:30 a.m. and I’m heading to the school when, like a lightning bolt, the Lord brings a thought to mind. I LOVE MY LIFE!
I love what I do. I love the opportunities I have. I love being a part of the school system, the fire department, and the ministry of the church. I love the people in my life, especially my wife, then the kids and grandkids. I love coming home from school, fixing a cup of coffee or hot chocolate, then heading to my office to begin studying. I love preparing
sermons, writing devotionals, preaching, playing piano for those who sing, and anything else that I get to do. I love the nights, sitting with my wife on the couch, watching something together or reading – well, she reads, and I scroll the news or Instagram. I love crawling into the cool sheets at night and falling asleep.
To borrow the words of my wife’s favorite Christmas movie, it is a wonderful life!
Proverbs 10:22 says, “The blessing of the LORD, it maketh rich, and he addeth no sorrow with it.” That’s a great way to put it. I feel like the wealthiest person around!
Rich doesn’t mean a fat billfold and an even fatter bank account, although God can certainly bless people that way. Biblical riches can’t be tabulated by an earthly accountant. Instead, they are the joys and blessings God brings into our lives. They are blessings nobody can take from us.
God has a desire to bless His children and I believe that He does bless us. The problem is that we tend to miss the blessings because we are too busy with worry or complaining. Our negativity negates the power of the positive that God allows us to experience.
It seems that we have a choice to make. Deuteronomy 26:11 says, “And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.” If we aren’t rejoicing and CHOOSING to rejoice, we are missing out.
Every day, I want to feel like I do today. I want to NOTICE and not miss the truth of Deuteronomy 28:6. “Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out.” That’s a day full of God’s blessing!
Do you love your life? I hope so. I hope none of us miss the amazing blessings of life God has granted. Yes, we have troubles that come along. But even then, we can find the goodness of our God.
We are well familiar with the phrase, “God is good, all the time, and all the time, God is good.” Even when things aren’t going a great as we hoped, God is still blessing us, and we would understand that better if we made the choice to rejoice.
Let the words of 1 Peter 1:7 remind you of God’s blessing. “That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ.”
Images are taken from https://pixabay.com/, https://www.pexels.com/, or https://unsplash.com/images or created in Windows Copilot. According to the websites, they are Royalty Free and free to be used for our purposes.
