What Blessing do you have to praise God for this week?

"What Blessing do you have to praise God for this week?"

I was asked this question by a friend yesterday at church and stood there for about 20 seconds frozen and thinking about how to respond. Soon I realized (and said to him), "Wow, I probably shouldn't have to wait too long to think about an answer." That was alarming (I actually never gave him an answer and we went onto other topics of conversation).

I was deeply inside myself and seeing the world largely through the lens of either struggle or transitional frustrations. I recognize, now, that I really need to focus on some of the way that God is blessing me! Here are a few:

1) He has provided me a home and generous finances (meaning more than I truly need) through my job that are allow me to be a blessing to others. In line with the recent sermon and Soul Shift that my church covered this week (Consumer to Steward), this means God considers me trustworthy in entrusting me so much and believes I will be a faithful steward.

2) The margin in my finances is also allowing me to go to Seminary without incurring debt.

3) The past 2 weeks, I have had a few "grace moments" that have been windows to show my efforts in showing hospitality, mercy, and providing a place of healing in my home have not been in vain. My friend is growing in hope and confidence and is blossoming in his relationship with God. A big change:  he doesn't think about missing church, trying to miss church, or other church events. His relationship with God is becoming part of the means and cure for his anxiety.

4) I woke up this past Thursday morning to my friend playing worship music on his keyboard. It was so rewarding and awesome to see my friend enjoying the Lord. I can just see he is increasingly coming into a good place in life and with the Lord.

5) Although I am feeling stuck and am fumbling my way through transition into further ministry,  God is opening doors and helping me, I believe, to ask the right questions. He is giving me grace to wait and to be not so eager just to "do" ministry.

6) He is also giving me grace to watch my brother suffer. That may sound weird, so let me explain. My brother has lost another job and has been unemployed for 2 months. I and others have extended him grace and financial support, but it soon became clear that he was expecting God to meet his need (for employment) only in ways that he wanted. Instead, God has closed most doors to employment (in ways he wants) because of his cumulative poor job history over the past 2 years. This was also turning into expecting others to show him mercy and meet his needs, meanwhile not accessing resources in the community that could help him financially or with food. So I had to withdraw my support. My initial reaction to this assignment was going to be a prayer request for him (which I would ask you to join me in prayer anyway), however 2 recent interactions with him have demonstrated that he is starting to humble himself by applying whatever employment he can get, and by starting to access community resources.