I was in a mood that day. I was frustrated about a few things at work, and I was mentally exhausted because of the responsibilities waiting for me at home. I found myself in a place where I was finished. I was finished putting up with things that I shouldn’t have to put up with. Do you know what I mean? The next thing I knew, I was ranting about everything wrong in my life…complaining about what my husband was doing wrong…complaining about how the situation in my workplace seemed wrong. The whole situation was pretty disheartening.
How did I go from feeling blessed by my marriage, to feeling like I was in it alone? How did I go from loving my workplace, to feeling totally unappreciated?
The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. (John 10:10 NLT)
God’s purpose is to provide us with a rich and satisfying life, but the enemy’s purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy that life.
God has healed my marriage. He has blessed me with an amazing, God fearing man…but the enemy wants to destroy that, and the way that he aims to do this is through our minds. Our marriage might be blessed, but instead of us focusing on the large blessing, he wants us to focus on the small frustrations. The same is true of my job. I absolutely love my job. My career as a preschool teacher is literally the best career I’ve ever had. And I love the school that I work for. But, instead of me focusing on that large blessing, the enemy would rather steal it from me; he’d rather me focus on the small frustrations.
Focusing on the small things (or the wrong things) can kill our blessings.
Have you ever blown something small out of proportion? Maybe you were in a bad mood. Maybe you were upset about something else. Or maybe you just woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
When we are not ourselves, we tend to allow the small things to get the best of us. I have found myself in a place of regret many times because of something small that I blew out of proportion. Now, don’t hear me wrong. I am not saying that we should ignore important red flags in situations. I am not saying that we should allow ourselves to be treated any type of way. But, what I am saying is that we have to trust the place that God has prepared for us. We must trust where we are, if we really trust Him.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. (Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT)
If we seek God’s will in all we do, we must trust that He has us right where He wants us.
Now, I want to pause for a moment right here…maybe you're reading this and you aren’t sure whether or not God’s led you to this moment in your life. If that’s the case, I want you to know that your journey of walking with God can start right here…in this moment. Scripture says that if you seek His will in all you do, He’ll show you which path to take. So right now, make the decision to lay down your plans, so that you can receive His. He is always there for us…waiting to come into our lives when we make the decision to let Him in.
“Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends. (Revelation 3:20 NLT)
When we make the decision to walk with God, He leads us in every area of our lives. He hears our cries for help, He provides for everything that we need, and He ensures that the pain we feel along the way works out in our favor. But, we must understand that God doesn’t work according to our time table. The bible says that His thoughts are nothing like our thoughts, and His ways are far beyond our ways. This means that His reasoning is something that we can’t comprehend. But we must know that even if we can’t understand it, He has our best interest in mind.
If He has us here…it’s for a reason.
I know this is hard to hear, but God has a reason for every season of our lives. There’s a reason He allowed the injustice. There’s a reason He allowed the hurt and pain. There’s a reason He’s allowing the trials that you’re facing right now. You may not be able to make sense of this season, but you will see His glory later in life.
Either way, you are blessed right now.
As I said earlier, I am blessed in my marriage. I am blessed in my career. But that all depends on the lens that I am looking through. Am I looking through the lens of blessing? Or am I looking through the lens of frustration? It’s my choice. I choose whether or not I smell the roses. I choose whether or not I bask in all that God has given me. I must remember that the choice is mine. And I want you to remember that the choice is yours.
Take a moment to reflect on where you are in life. Are you in a place of frustration? Or are you in a place of blessing?
There’s no doubt you’ve faced your share of trials, but there’s also no doubt that you are still immensely blessed. You are blessed because you have breath in your body. You are blessed because He saved you, He’s chosen you, and He has an amazing purpose for your life. I know it may not feel like it right now, but consider the lens you are looking through.
If we want to stay blessed, we must view life through a grateful lens.
We are blessed, but we can’t live in that blessing if we are focused on everything that’s going wrong in our lives. Just think about it. How can we have a blessed marriage if we are looking for the imperfections in our spouse? How can we enjoy our children, if we are constantly focusing on their mistakes? How can we enjoy our careers, if we are constantly comparing ourselves to others? At some point we must be grateful for where we are.
God will take care of the rest.
The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” (Exodus 14:14 NLT )
We’ve all heard the phrase, “Let God fight your battles,” but if we want to stay blessed, we need to live it. We need to stop trying to fix our lives, and we need to start allowing God to do what only He can do. Only He can pave the way for a healthy marriage. Only He can prepare for us a fulfilling purpose. Only He can work in the hearts of those around us. So why do we spend our time focusing on things that are out of our control? Our efforts aren’t helping, they’re only preventing us from staying blessed.
We don’t have control of our lives, but we do have control over whether or not we stay blessed.
It doesn’t matter how much God blesses us if we can’t see it. What’s the point, if we can’t enjoy it? I don’t know about you, but I want to live the rich and satisfying life that God has for me. I want to enjoy my marriage and family. I want to enjoy my career and purpose. I want to live in blessing. Don’t you? If you are in a place where you’re feeling frustrated, I want to encourage you to pay attention to how you’re viewing your life. Are you focusing on how much God has done for you? Or are you focusing on the things He has yet to do? If you are focusing on the unanswered prayers, consider switching up your approach. Remind yourself of where you were before God came into your life. Where did He rescue you from? What has He done for you? Now…the same God that did that, is the same God that is working on your behalf right now. He’s fighting for you…making a way for you. So stop worrying about what He hasn’t done, and focus on what He has done. Live in the moment. Bask in all that He’s given you. And continue to hope in Him. He has already blessed you, but you must choose to stay blessed.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for saving me, thank you for choosing me, and thank you for giving me purpose. Today, I have been reminded that your plan is to give me a rich and satisfying life, but I have also been reminded that my experience of that life is my choice. I must choose to live in your blessing. I must choose to focus on all that you have done for me. So today, I am making the decision to stay blessed. No longer will I allow my frustrations to consume me. Instead, I will lay them at your feet, so that you can fight for me. I trust you, Father. You have been faithful, so I know you will continue to be faithful. Thank you in advance for the amazing life that you have planned for me. I love you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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