Remembering God's Blessings

 

Remember Joshua?  He was the leader of Moses’ army, the famed trumpet player at Jericho, and Moses’ successor as leader of Israel.  It was he who led his people into the promised land.  As Joshua was nearing the end of his life and preparing to pass on the torch of leadership to the judges, he called them all together, to offer last words of wisdom.  He offered a litany of the ways in which God had provided for them and their ancestors in the past.  In essence, Joshua charged his successors to remember, one by one, God’s blessings over the many years and generations (Joshua 24:1-13).

In reflection on this chapter of Joshua, I wondered how often do I take time to identify and acknowledge the ways in which God has blessed—and continues to bless—my life?  My answer is not often enough!  Oh, sure, I know I’m blessed.  But how often do I, like Joshua, do an accounting of those blessings?  How often do I take the time to list them out, feel the goodness of those blessings, and acknowledge God’s closeness in all that I do and experience? 

Despite being in retirement, I’m too busy.  My life is fraught with overwhelming busy-ness; mounds of work to be done (not really), challenges to be met (nope), deadlines hovering on the horizon (not anymore), and the list goes on and on and on (in my own mind).  I’m grateful to God; but taking time to think about those blessings? Not very often.  And, frankly, all too often, I attend to the not-so-great happenings in my life.  Like all of us, I have ample instances of those disagreements with others, disappointments, and anger at injustice that it’s all too easy to let those obscure my sight and occupy my few remaining moments.

Yet, in those all-too-few moments when I do stop to think about God’s presence and blessing in my day (most often just before going to sleep), I find a richness of love and relationship that give me a moment’s respite.  I see God in the gentle smile of my wife, the laughter of friends, the growing maturity of my grandchildren, and even the tears of strangers.  God is present and I know that to be true in the depths of my soul. 

Maybe you’re better than I am at taking stock of God’s blessing in the little moments of your day.  If so, you’re blessed in another way too.  If not, then join me in listening to the Spirit’s call to remember and make it a part of our lives, every day, all days.