One morning this month I read a daily devotional centered around joyfully receiving blessings from the Lord. Since coming on the Race, I have become more aware of the Earthly mindset that dominates much of my thought life. The Bible says that “Every good and perfect good is from above.” EVERY. I almost always give God credit for the big stuff, but what about the little things? Sure, maybe I will say a praise for a beautiful sunny day, but do I truly believe that this sunny day is a gift designed by my Heavenly Father to bless me?
As I read the devotional, God renewed in my heart the desire to stretch my faith and truly believe that every single thing is orchestrated by His hands.
Minutes later Kara came over to my tent asking if I had an American 1 dollar bill I wouldn’t mind giving her for one of the village children to have. I knew there was one in the front pocket of my purse, so I reached for it and felt for the money. As I pulled the cash out of the pocket, a 20 dollar bill came along with it. Now, I had been through this pocket approximately 1 million time in the last 5 months. There had never been that much cash in there. Laughing, I handed Kara the $1 and stared in amazement at the $20. I couldn’t for the life of me place where it would have come from, except to believe that it was a gift from the Lord.
“God, thank you so much for this small miracle! I choose to believe that this good gift is from you to bless my life and honor my heart’s desire to change. Thank you!”
I proceeded on with my morning feeling happy and blessed. During a conversation a little while later, something triggered a memory. I groaned audibly as I finally remembered how the $20 got in that pocket. It wasn’t miraculous after all; it was change from purchasing Visas in the Nepalese airport. This meant that the money belonged to the World Race and not to me.
I won’t lie, I was disappointed. I began to pray again, this time asking the Lord why He would allow me to believe I was getting blessed when I wasn’t—-especially when it concerned the area of spiritual growth I was praying for! The Lord’s words came to my heart.
“Because in that moment you chose to believe that I was blessing you. You trusted that I could miraculously place $20 in your purse. You can choose this again. Your heart is already experiencing the transformation you have asked for. This is my blessing to you.”
How often do God’s gifts come in unexpected ways? Look for His blessings all around, and remember that every good thing comes from Him.
