Saturday, March 9, 2013

I forget... a lot!

Sitting here with the beautiful sunshine warming my face, I am struck by the beauty of a new morning.  It is fresh and waiting for me to embrace it.  This morning, I am in a pondering sort of mood.  Pondering on the many ways I am blessed and the many times I forget that.  Many times I am like the Israelites wandering in the desert.  We learn in the Old Testament that the Israelites were an oppressed people.  Enslaved to the Egyptians, the Israelites were treated harshly.  Then the Lord sent them a way out.  The Lord God Almighty made a way for them to be free.  He sent miraculous signs and wonders and set His people free.  Rejoicing abounded... and then, they forgot.   Soon praises turned to grumbling.  Complaints multiplied about the food provided to feed their hunger and the length of time their leader Moses was away from them and up on the mountain.   Fear and rebellion set in.  The Israelites took their eyes of the wonders the Lord did for them and the things He provided for them.  Their sight was clouded by their selfishness, their fears, and their wills.  A big part of me judges them.  I think they were so short-sighted... so forgetful.  Then I am completely humbled and ashamed.  How often am I like the Israelites?  One moment I am praising the Lord for all He has done in my life and the next moment I am grumbling.  I complain about the way I want things, the things I want, and the things I don't want.  I forget how, even in the darkest and most challenging times, the Lord has always been faithful.  He has always provided.  He has always loved.  I am a forgetful Israelite.
Just like the Israelites, I need markers along the way and reminders.  Here is what I am doing to be more intentional... so I remember!

 This is my blessing book.  Writing down blessings in it helps me to reflect, record, and remember.  It is just a composition book that I embellished to make it extra special.  Truthfully, it doesn't matter what I write down my blessings in; it matters that I write them down.  Sometimes my list is long and deep... sometimes it is just full of little things.  I don't write in it often enough;  I am a work in progress.

Blessing Book

This is my blessings board.  It is a simple frame from a dollar store filled with some pretty fabric.  I use a dry erase marker and as I think of blessings I add them to the board.  My family is encouraged to write on it as well.  I love when the board is full so we can see all the Lord has blessed us with.  I love when the board is wiped clean and is a blank slate for me to fill up again.

Blessing Board

Today, my list includes:  my husband, my children, our pets, our home, love, and sunshine.  Every time I write down something, I am aware of how the Lord is with me each day.  My heart becomes grateful.  I am no longer wandering in the desert.

What are you blessed with today?  How do you remember these things?

"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.  His love endures forever."
Psalm 107:1

Praying you have many blessings and much joy!
Kristen

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