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It’s easy to forget how blessed you are. Read this and find out how ancient Israel can help you get a new perspective on your own amazing life.

“May the Lord bless you from Zion; may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭128‬:‭5‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In Psalms 128:5, God is offering the Israelites a blessing beyond measure, a promise beyond compare. The best of lives. Because at this time in history, the goal of all Jews would be to have peace in their city.

Zion, their home, is constantly facing the enemy in battle. There hasn’t been any rest for them from the attacks from those who live around them. And yet, God is offering them the dream of a peaceful life. No war. Time at home to hug their spouses and to spend time with their children. This Is the ideal that they envision when they imagine a wonderful future.

“May you live to see your children’s children— peace be on Israel.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭128‬:‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

In this age where men tended to die young in battle, there was very little hope of surviving to see grandchildren. Yet, God is promising his people precisely this. He gives them the unimaginable dream of spending time with their own children’s children, a blessed dream.

All this to say, I read this verse, and when I did, I began to realize that I’m living the dream. My household is peaceful. There is no war in my city, there’s plenty of food, and our family has so much love. Above all, I’m living to see and get to know my grandchildren. It’s such a pleasure and a great privilege, and though I never cease to give thanks to God for it, I also manage to keep a nice, long log of complaints that I send up heavenward on a daily basis.

Grateful, but still, I whine sometimes.

Life is so full of little battles, moody moments, and tiny irritations that can keep us from enjoying our lives. I am easily irritated by so many things: the tags on my low-rise jeans, the tapping sound that my boy makes with his pencil, my hubby’s habit of humming while I’m talking, and my own tendency to forget so many things on a regular basis. Thank God that his word reminds us to be grateful for everything that we have. Otherwise, with the constant onslaught of these tiny irritations, I’d be tempted to forget how blessed I am.

The To Do List

1. Once again, I feel like repenting. Yes, I love my life. Yes, I’m grateful. But I’ll admit that as I sit on my toilet in my bathroom, I see some wear spots in the paint on the door frame that bring me a little twinge of frustration. I need to paint, but there’s not enough time. And honestly, I’m terrible at it.
2. I sleep on a king sized bed in a large room, but I have often found myself getting frustrated at my stained mattress. Not so much for it being dirty, it has been stained by little children’s spilled snacks, my own midnight treats, and several years of life as a human on this planet. It was also lumpy from the jumping feet of happy children being raised in a loving household.
3. My stove helps our family prepare healthy, delicious, and fun food for our favorite people, but the burners lost their ability to consistently maintain the heat. The glass top got scratched beyond our ability to camouflage it. So, day by day, I complained. Yet, food kept being cooked and the house was full of laughter. I sometimes forgot to notice that.
4. Right now, I’m focused on creating a backpack station for the kids’ stuff in the hallway. They are always on the sofa and I need to move a backpack whenever I want to sit down. It’s become an obsession. I look up shelves online all the time. But I forget that moving their backpacks to the side while I’m trying to sit on the sofa is a little inconvenience. It shouldn’t be taking up so many of my thoughts. I’m overreacting.

Fulfilled hope is a tree of life!

We’re in a season of renewal.

1. We haven’t painted…
2. But I got a brand new mattress for a third of its retail value.
3. We got a stove at an even better deal.
4. We’re likely to get that backpack station figured out with the stuff we already own.
   • – All good news. I have been so happy! –

5. Now, let’s talk about the sofa!

Okay, okay. I know. I know. I’m wrong. So very wrong for letting my next goal get in the way of appreciating the one that I just saw fulfilled. So I’m taking this time to remind the both of us to look around and be thankful for the amazing blessings that we already have.

Listing my blessings…

1. Do you have someone to love (like I do as I find myself raising my beautiful niece and nephew)?
2. Do you have something pretty to admire (like I do with my shiny new stove)?
3. Are you blessed with a talent (like my gift for communication)?
4. Do you get a glimpse of nature every day?
5. Do you have the joy of viewing beautiful architecture in your city?
6. Are you blessed to know a wise person?

It’s a crazy thing to realize that the depression and the overwhelming rages that I struggled with most of my life could be improved with a renewed mindset. There’s a reason so many happy people throughout history have spoken of the power of positivity? It doesn’t have to be a toxic weapon thrown at others. It can also be a positive tool when used by us for our own good.

I thank God for my children as I fold their clothing. I praise God for my hubby as I think about him throughout the day. I find the funny things, the pretty things, and the joys in my environment, and I focus on those things more than on the things that are trying to turn my mood. The real question is: Are you just realizing how many things you have that could make you happy if you let them?

The real question is: Are you just realizing how many things you have that could make you happy if you let them?

Above all…

Do you have a connection with the God who made the universe? Have you met Jesus and trusted him to forgive your sins and make you new? Yes, this is the most important thing of all. Jesus loves you, he’s real, and you’re never alone.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Matthew 22:37-38 and Mark 12:30

A final note: The only people who will never be absent from you are God and yourself. Everyone else comes and goes. But God will never leave you. And you’ll always be there with yourself, so you might as well work on making yourself into someone that you would appreciate having as a best friend. But that’s a subject for another day.

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