Unexpected Blessings!

November 10, 2022

Unexpected Blessings!

Our kids were home earlier this week.  It was their first time to see our home in Colorado and their first time to see us “on our turf” in about five months.  It was a good time; lots of laughter, lots of cooking together, and lots of game playing!

We decided to drive up into the mountains west of our home to see the elk and maybe some big horn sheep.  On the way up, two or three cars were pulled to the side of the road.  It was an alert that there might be wildlife near the road.

I was not all that hopeful because the location was further up the mountain road than where we had seen big horn sheep in the past.  But as we slowed down, we saw several big horn sheep next to the road.  It was an unexpected blessing because it did not occur when and where we thought it would!

About 25 minutes later, we arrived at the town near the top of the mountain.  I took a residential street on which we had seen elk in past falls.  The first sighting was a large buck deer with a large set of antlers.  It was an unexpected blessing because it was beautiful but not the thing we were seeking!

We drove around the housing development just outside of town.  As we turned a corner, I heard the cries of excitement; “There is one on the right!” followed quickly by; “There is one of the left!” 

One elk was lying on the ground unconcerned about our presence.  The other was a huge male walking slowly and munching on the left-overs in someone’s garden.  It was an unexpected blessing because there were more elk than we expected!

Unexpected blessings come because the Lord is so good, so gracious, and so generous.  However, we often miss the blessings of the Lord God because…

+we are more focused on our time-line than God’s time-line.

+we are more fixated on our dream than God’s opportunity.

+we are more engrossed in our small request than God’s abundant answer.

+we are more absorbed in our plan than on God’s unlimited generosity.

In one of his letters to the church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul writes about how the abundance of God’s blessings on our lives invites us to show abundant blessings through our lives.  In II Corinthians 9:8 Paul writes; “And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.”

Jesus pours unexpected blessings on our lives.  Paul tells us Jesus is able to pour abundant blessings on us.  Paul also tells us that when we are covered with God’s blessings we can share abundant blessings with other people.

Unfortunately, we often miss the great blessings of the Lord because His blessings come at unexpected times or in unexpected places or in unexpected ways or in unexpected abundance. 

Too often we are more focused on our circumstances we cannot control or change than upon the unexpected blessings of the Lord.

In His “Sermon On The Mount” Jesus says something remarkable about God’s blessings.  In Luke 6:20 Jesus said; “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.”  If all we can see is what we do not have or only the things that are too difficult or all the things that are unfair, then we will miss the unexpected blessings of the Kingdom of God.

I invite you to look around and slow down so you can see what Jesus is doing.  I invite you to lay aside your agenda long enough that you can see the doors the Spirit is opening for you.  I invite you to re-consider your small thinking and puny goals so you can experience the crazy abundance of the Lord’s blessings on your life.

My heart was filled with delight when we saw the big horn sheep alongside the road, the large deer near a dead tree, and the huge elk in someone’s garden.  I was confidence the Lord was showering us with unexpected blessings.  The result was my heart was filled with delight in the Lord. 

Delight will fill your heart when you give the Lord thanks for His unexpected blessings.

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug

P.S.  Invite someone to join you on the journey of looking for God’s unexpected blessings.  And, invite them to join our blog community.