The Blessing Jar

One of my friends (Joy Melville) posted a photograph of a jar on Facebook around the New Year. She planned to write good things that happened during 2016 on scraps of paper, store them in the jar, and read all of them in one marathon of good memories at the end of the year.

The Blessing Jar is a variation on journalling that appealed to me because of its ease. As you can tell from the photo, I found a jar of my own. Jar, paper, and pen now rest in a basket in my kitchen. 

As the seventh day of the new year begins, I already have fourteen blessings in my jar. 

There have been more than fourteen blessings this year, of course, but I've recorded the notable ones. Most of the cards in my jar record answered prayers and unexpected blessings of grace that have already arrived. They are records of the faithfulness of our Grace-giving God. 

One day, I had just written a blessing on a card when a serious concern came to mind. "I can't wait to write God's answer to that need on a card and put it in the jar," I told myself. 

A loved one's loss of faith has been a major concern for quite a while. The verse, "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion..." (Philippians 1:6 esv) came to mind. God had begun a good work. I knew that was true. If so (and it is), then He will also bring that good work to completion. 

In a way, I can count it done, even if I haven't seen that answer of God yet. 

I pondered that thought for a while and decided to thank God in advance for the answer to my prayer that's still to come. A card to record my statement of faith was quickly written and placed in the jar. It's been a big relief as I've thanked God all week for His promise.

Another concern has weighed heavy on my heart. The first "thanksgiving from faith" card was so inspiring that one more card seemed in order.  This time, I thanked God for the answer to my prayer in advance, based on a promise from Joshua 1:5. "I will never fail you or forsake you..." (nasb) 

God's answer may not look as I expect, but it will come. He will not fail. 

The words to a song, learned in childhood, comes back to me almost every time I drop a card in my Blessing Jar. 

"Count your many blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings. See what God has done." (Oatman, 1897)

Whether you use a jar, a journal, or voice your thanks in prayer, let's be faithful to give Thanks to God for all His blessings, great and small. 

"Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16 esv

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In case you missed one of this week's posts, here are the links: Out with the Old, Freedom and Grace, Walking with God or Hiding with the World,  The Same Jesus, The God Who Never Fails and Halfway to Canaan. 

#gratitude #countyourblessings #blessingjar #givethanksinallthings #answeredprayer

The Blessing of Protection

One recent morning, I awakened at 1:30 am with a sense of urgency to pray for my son. I prayed and climbed back in bed. It was no better. I prayed in bed. At 2 am, I got up again. As it turned out, I was up for the day. The sense of danger for my son was so strong that I ended up praying off and on all day. 

By lunchtime, I was overwhelmed. Something was wrong. 

I texted him. He was fine. Nothing was wrong. 

I kept praying. I texted my prayer partner to pray. I prayed some more.

Finally, at 3:05 pm, nearly ten hours after my first sense of danger, I received a text from Ryan. A crazy thing had happened. He was driving (in his tiny Nissan roadster) when an 18-wheeler passed him, had a blow out, and blew the tire onto his car. The tire missed his windshield (which would likely have killed him) and hit his front bumper instead. 

"Did it scare you, Ryan," I asked. 

"No, Ma'am. It happened too fast to scare me, but it sure surprised me."

There's damage to the bumper that will need to be repaired, but Ryan managed to navigate to the side of the road without crashing. He made his way to a service station and the man there, who was so nice, gave him several long zip-ties. Ryan, a modern-day MacGyver if there ever was one, zip-tied his car back together until he could report his accident and arrange for repair.

According to roadtreking.com, highway debris causes more than 25,000 accidents and at least 100 deaths each year in North America. When I called the insurance company to report his accident, the woman who answered asked how much of the car was damaged in the crash. 

"He didn't crash," I told her. "He said he just pulled off on the side of the road."

Most of the time, she said, when a flying tire-remnant hits a car, it causes a wreck. She was very surprised this one did not.

I'm not surprised at all.

The Lord has made known His salvation... Psalm 98:2 nasb

Our God, who is eternally present and sees the past and the future, knew about the accident to come at 1:30 that morning. He invited me into His divine preparations and I accepted the invitation. I can't begin to tell you how often I've been thankful for that. 

Lest you misunderstand, let me make it clear that Ryan wasn't spared because of his worried mama. Ryan was spared because a loving God intervened on his behalf. 

"He cares for you..." 1 Peter 5:7 nasb

On that particular day, at that particular time, God allowed me to glimpse His provision, His tender loving care. There are many days, in fact most days, when I do not glimpse His provision and tender loving care in such graphic detail. 

My failure to recognize God's care does not negate its presence nor His provision.

As disciples, we serve a loving, knowing God who cares for us with more tenderness, more love than we can imagine. Look around you today. Try to count the blessings you see, then count the unseen blessings that, though less tangible, are no less real. 

There's a song I learned as a child. "Count your many blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done."

Indeed. Count your many blessings today and thank Him for all He has done.

__________________

In case you missed any of the past week's posts, here are the links: The Problem With Phone Calls, How to Recognize Good News, Removing the Callus, Refillable Nespresso capsules,  The New Normal, and The Blessing Disguised as Coincidence.

#highwaydebris #spared #handofGod #blessed #disciple #JesusChrist #grateful

The most read post of the past week: Removing the Callus.

The Faithful and Sensible Steward: The Adventures of Alfred the Butler, part 5

Photo courtesy of freeimages.com

"And the Lord said, 'Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.'Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few." Luke 12: 42-48 NASB

In case you're just joining us, we have taken a little segue for the story of Alfred the Butler. It's an allegory and it has surprised me as much as anyone. 

Alfred has been a butler for a long time. He has a great master who announced he was giving Alfred a new job. Instead of being a butler, he is now in charge of grain distribution. You might want to read the previous stories to get caught up. Alfred # 1, Alfred # 2, Alfred #3, and Alfred #4. 

We pick up the story late on the first night. Alfred had worked past his usual bedtime and had cleaned 500 square feet of a 100,000 square foot warehouse. He finally stopped for dinner, but all he could find was a long-opened jar of peanut butter. He ate two big spoonfuls and went back to his work.

Alfred had picked up trash and swept up dirt for more than twelve hours. It's 2 am and he's finally finished his goal of cleaning a 1000 square foot area. He walks back to the little bedroom. When he flicks on the light, he hears a scurrying of little feet and sees four gray mice running under the bed. There is no way he can sleep in this room. 

Alfred doesn't even bother resenting this new assignment from the master. Missing his wonderful bed with the down duvet would take more energy than he has left. He slides the pillow out of the soiled pillow case and trudges back to the area he's already cleaned. He puts his bare pillow in the center of the 1000 square feet, lies down, and promptly falls asleep. 

It's been a long and very hard day, but so far, Alfred has made good choices. 

When he awakens at 7 am, Alfred has had five hours of sleep. His body is aching from sleeping on the floor and his muscles are stiff from the unaccustomed physical exertion. He can see the difference in the warehouse, and is determined to do as much today as yesterday. He is determined to keep his good attitude and to make wise decisions again today.

Attitudes and decisions are choices we make. If we have bad attitudes, it's because we made that choice. If we make bad decisions, it's a result of choice. 

We can do better. If we will.

Unfortunately, not everyone associated with Alfred has the same determination. Jack is the master's gardener. He loves working outside and keeping the gardens beautiful. He loves working in the roses and the other flowers. The master's gardens are a testimony to his skill.  Today is his day off. 

Master stops by and says, "Jack, Alfred is working in the grain warehouse and he has a big job. He could use some help today. What do you have planned for your day off?" 

Jack smiles. "That Alfred is a hard worker. He can handle it. I need some 'me time' today. I'm going to get a barber shave and have a massage. After that, I'm meeting some friends for tennis and lunch. This afternoon, I'm reading a new novel. I have a great day planned." 

"That sounds like a fun day. If you decide to help Alfred, let me know. Have fun."

Jack nods. "I'll do that, Sir. You have a nice day, too." Jack thinks, "There is no chance I'm going to help fusty old Alfred. He can deal with grain himself. It's not like I need the grain in the warehouse. What good will it do me?" He wisely refrains from telling the master this, though.

Jack chooses his busy, fun day. 

Alfred chooses to press on. 

At this point, he's exhausted, hungry, and sleep-deprived. He could use some "me-time", too. Fortunately for Alfred and his friendship with Jack, he will never know about the choice Jack made. But Jack will know. One day, Jack may wish he'd made a better choice. But it will not be this day.

Alfred remembers the Eggs Benedict and thick-sliced bacon from yesterday's breakfast. He misses Cook more than ever, but there's nothing to be done about it now. He goes back to the little kitchen, washes his spoon again (there's no telling what has walked over that spoon during the night), and eats two big spoonfuls of peanut butter. If only he had some coffee.

After his quick breakfast, he trudges back to the warehouse, finds a new garbage bag, and starts on the second 1000 square feet. 

He's one-fourth of the way through the second section when Alfred hears a car pull up. It's the master. Great, Alfred thinks, I can tell the master this is too hard a job. He will need to get someone else. I'm going back to being a butler.

The Master comes in with a basket, a red-checked cloth tucked atop the contents. A fabulous aroma wafts from beneath the cloth. "Hi, Alfred. I thought you might need some breakfast. Cook sent you a little something. Stop and eat." 

Alfred hurries to the basket. When he lifts the cloth and sees the food tucked inside, he has to blink back tears. Homemade banana nut bread. Still warm. A thermos of coffee. Link sausages. Biscuits. Orange and grapefruit salad. A plate, knife, fork, and spoon. A cup and saucer. When Alfred sees the cup and saucer, symbol of the life he left to work in the warehouse, he can't hold back. Tears begin to trickle down his cheeks. 

The Master sees Alfred's tears and they break his heart. He knows Alfred is working too hard. He knows Alfred is doing this because of his great love for his master. He knows the job is too much for Alfred. He also knows that the work will change Alfred into a stronger, wiser man and that he has a wonderful surprise planned for Alfred when this horrible job is done.

He puts his arm around Alfred's shoulder. "You've done a good job, Alfred, and you've accomplished more than I expected. Stop now, and eat. I brought a few things for you, and I've come to help." 

Master spreads the cloth (which was a little table cloth) on the floor, sets the tableware and the food out, and directs Alfred to the picnic. Next, the master does the most surprising thing. He sits down with Alfred. "Tell me all about it, Alfred," he says, and Alfred does.

"Oh, Alfred, I'm sorry it was so hard, but I can help. First, those mice need to go somewhere else. I brought ultrasound plug-ins to chase off the mice." Alfred's heart leaps in his chest. Hooray! Alfred can't stand mice.

"I have something else for you, Alfred. You need a decent bed to sleep in. I ordered you a new mattress and box springs. The one you have is in terrible shape. They couldn't deliver it to you until today, but it will be here later this afternoon. I brought clean bedding, too. Just send the old bedding with me and I'll deal with it."

Alfred is already feeling better. His hope is restored. The master hasn't forgotten him. The master knows his needs. Maybe he shouldn't quit after all.

"Finish your coffee while I bring a few things in from the car." The master comes back with two new push brooms and a variety of cleaning supplies. He has several large boxes. Alfred can't image what's in the boxes. All he knows is that his master has seen his needs and has met them. 

Alfred has experienced the truth David wrote about in Psalm 23. "He makes me lie down in green pastures... He prepares a table before me..." He has a master who cares about him and meets his needs.

It's easy to wish for our needs to be met in a certain way and miss the sweetness of the provision our Lord makes. Certainly Alfred would have enjoyed bone china and heavy sterling silver with a gourmet meal but, with an humble grateful heart, he was able to see the picnic on the warehouse floor as a tremendous blessing. 

Every gift from God is a blessing, even when it's not the one we wanted.

For today, let's focus on the provisions God has made, even when they weren't made in the way we hoped. Let's give thanks for the gifts we've been given. Let's press on.

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Almighty God, who lives and reigns forever, we give you thanks for all the gifts you have bestowed upon us. Thank you for the gifts we wanted and for the ones we didn't know we needed. Thank you for being our Good Shepherd. In Jesus' name, Amen.

#disciple, #JesusChrist, #Alfredthebutler, #servant #countyourblessings

The sacrifice of thanksgiving

As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, "This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation. (Luke 11:29-30 NASB)

And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights. (Jonah 1:17 NASB)

Then Jonah prayed to the LORD his God from the stomach of the fish, But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving. That which I have vowed I will pay. Salvation is from the LORD." Then the LORD commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah up onto the dry land. (Jonah 2:1, 9-10 NASB)

I was in a hurry to get to the sign of Jonah yesterday and skipped right over a vital principle that has been life-changing for me. The Sacrifice of Thanksgiving is too important to miss. 

The first time I discovered the principle of the sacrifice of thanksgiving was in Psalm 50.

"He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; 

And to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God." 

(Psalms 50:23 NASB)

It was a time when life was hard and money was tight. To be absolutely accurate, money was just about nonexistent. The hard time had lasted far longer than I had expected, and I was beginning to feel desperate. On this particular day, I was sitting in my car in a parking lot with my Bible in my lap, intently looking for comfort and wisdom about what I should do. The "cattle on a thousand hills" verse had come to mind, (Psalm 50:10) and I was reading the verse and suggesting that God sell some of those cattle and help me out. 

"Lord, what am I going to do?" I prayed. Just as clear as a bell, the thought that came to me was "Turn the page". As you might imagine, I did not think that was a helpful mandate from God. It took me several times of hearing that to recognize that there might be something on the next page that was helpful. I finally turned the page. As soon as I did, I saw verse 23. "He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me..." 

The way I interpret that verse is that a sacrifice of thanksgiving is the act of giving thanks when it's hard. I had a blank index card in my Bible and I began to write a list of all the things for which I was thankful, making my own sacrifice of thanksgiving. In just a few minutes, I had filled both sides of the index card and was looking for another piece of paper. In my desperation, I had missed all the gifts God had so generously given. 

The sacrifice of thanksgiving changed the way I saw my situation and it changed my attitude before the Lord. My grumbling did not honor Him, and it prevented me from "ordering my steps aright." The attitude of gratitude made a bigger difference than I could have ever expected. My circumstances didn't change overnight, but they began to change as I made my list of thanksgiving.

Years ago, I was on my face before the Lord because of a heartbreaking situation. "I thank you for this situation because of how You will use it in my life and how You will bring about change through it. I thank You that You will be glorified through it," I prayed. I didn't feel grateful at the time, but feelings are not necessary for obedience. I offered my sacrifice of thanksgiving anyway (I didn't know it was a sacrifice of thanksgiving at the time). Years later, I can see that His gift of adversity was used to mature me, change me, and deepen my faith in ways that nothing else would have done. Now, I thank Him for the adversity and "mean it". Both prayers honored Him. 

Jonah found that same principle to be true. In the darkest (and possibly most uncomfortable) place on the planet, Jonah experienced a heart change that brought about a sacrifice of thanksgiving. From the belly of the whale, his litany of thanks rose to heaven and brought honor to God. As a result of that heart change, Jonah purposed to "order his days aright" and he soon saw the deliverance of the Lord.

Sacrifices of thanksgiving are not keys that unlock God's blessing. Psalm 50:23 tells us that God shows us His salvation when we live right with the right attitude. The sacrifice of thanksgiving honors God and is only one part of "living right". It is, however, a vital part of honoring God and one that is not optional.

Whether you are currently in a desperate place or not, offering a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors our Lord and pleases Him. It can be as simple as making a list of your blessings or as complex as thanking God for the adversity He has allowed into your life. Either way, sacrifices of thanksgiving honor and please our Lord and are not optional.
..
Why not begin today by honoring God with the sacrifice of thanksgiving? Count your many blessings. It may surprise you by all the Lord has done.

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Photo by Jessica Castro on Unsplash

Counting Your Blessings by Dr. Christy Lee

Intro from LH: This is an unusual Friday Night With Friends post. Dr. Christy Lee is not only my cousin, she is the little girl for whom I babysit as a teenager, and the daughter I never had. I love her dearly and am insanely proud of the woman she has become. She sent this to me after the blog post on counting your blessings, and I have listened to it over and over. I've saved the recording to a Dropbox link.  It's as safe as I can make it. Click on the link and then click download. You will be glad you did. It's ministered to me in ways you can't begin to imagine in the last few days, and I am immensely grateful for the wisdom in God's timing. Enjoy!!

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 My dearest friends, Phil and Caryn Marlowe, live in Knoxville and are a husband/wife singer team.  She did a production of White Christmas last fall at her high school and we recorded this late one night last August while goofing around.  Phil's dad was in the middle of progressing downward from pancreatic cancer, and my daddy had just gotten the diagnosis of tongue cancer.  Those were frightening times.  It was a very meaningful night, as we played and sang with all the emotion of both families welling up and threatening to overflow.  We shared this recording with both our fathers afterwards, and it has been a blessing to all of us.  Phil's daddy passed away in December.  My daddy is doing well now. 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8e1etq19mkoxc30/geYjg42AhE