Blessed

You know, God has been very good to me. Very good, indeed.

I have running water at my house. In multiple places. I even have toilets. Did you know that 1 in 10 people in the world lack access to safe water, let alone running water? Did you know that 2 out of 3 people in the world do not have access to toilets? I have both.

I have a good wife. Good kids. Can you imagine? Not one of my kids is unemployed or in jail. Oh, sure, they're not perfect, and, to be transparent, I don't chalk their "good kid" status to my efforts. I assign that to a good God who gave me a better wife than I could have imagined and good kids.

I'm not young, but I'm in amazingly good health. My doctor says so. And she doesn't know why, either. That's an astounding gift from God.

You know something really amazing? I can get myself up in the morning, shower myself, dress myself, read my Bible, eat my breakfast, brush my teeth, and drive to work. All by myself. No cane or assisted medical help or anything. Because God has been truly good to me.

I have a good job and a good home, a good church and a good family, good parents, good siblings and even their spouses. I live comfortably and am able to breathe on my own. I have a warm bed to sleep in, good food to eat, a wife who loves me, and fresh air to breathe. I can read and write and even use this computer thingy reasonably well.

One of my biggest blessings has been, all my life, my mother. She is a woman who loves the Lord above all and who loves His truth, even when it's not "convenient". (For instance, she reads, " I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man" (1 Tim 2:12) and accepts it because He says it, even if it's not particularly "politically correct" or "in sync with the culture.") One thing my mother loves, and, in doing so, passes on to others, is an abiding and constantly growing sense of gratitude for all the blessings God gives. What a wonderful gift my mother is.

As for me, sure, I've had this sin problem, but my God has provided the solution to it. By repenting and placing my faith in Christ, I get the incredible opportunity to exchange my sin for His righteousness, my death for His life, my pitiful world for His magnificence. Now, that is blessed.

There is a lot of good in my life. Even good that I don't recognize. And the Bible tells me that every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights (James 1:17). So I conclude that God has been very good to me.

Here's a theoretical question. If you woke up tomorrow without the things for which you didn't thank God today, what would you be without? Just a theoretical question, but something to think about.