The Blessing on the Ground
By Lexi Cole
“And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
Philippians 4:19-20
I am convinced that my dog, Riley, has the best and cutest personality of any dog in the world. She’s a good fit for our family because she’s quite dramatic. As I was mowing our yard recently, she kept running up to the deck. On the table were two identical tennis balls that we use to play with her. I finally gave in, stopped the mower and gave her one of the balls to play with while I finished the yard.
After a few minutes of playing with the first ball, she stopped and ambled back over to the table, rested her nose on it and stared at the other tennis ball. As the ball she was just enjoying lay on the ground, all she could do was stare at the ball she couldn’t have…while the exact same thing lay in full sight and within full grasp on the ground.
It makes me wonder: Have there been times in my life when God has so deeply blessed, provided for, or saved me but I wasn’t able to notice because I was too focused on something I wanted and didn’t have - - the other ball on the table? How often have there been blessings on the ground - - and I haven’t recognized them or thanked Him for them because all I could see was something I couldn’t have?
We are so blessed. Are there stormy circumstances at times? Yes. Are there times where we are stretched and challenged? Absolutely. But we, as those who have the Holy Spirit living inside us, are blessed people. Recognizing the ways God has blessed us - - the ball on the ground - - doesn’t mean we “fake-ly” ignore the reality that we live in a sinful and dark world. It means we see what God has done for us and praise Him in the good times and in midst of crisis and pain. The question isn’t “Has God blessed me?” The question is “Have I recently recognized all He has done in my live and others’?”
Riley may have been so focused on the ball she didn’t have that she missed out on the joys of the ball on the ground. But we have an opportunity to see right in front of us…in our own lives, in community with other believers, through reading God’s Word…we have opportunity to see right in front of us the blessings on the ground.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Identify some of the blessing God has given you in your life.
2. What are some ways you can remember these blessings in the midst of a busy life?
FURTHER READING:
Ephesians 1:3-10
Lexi is an Elementary Education major at Bethel University. She is currently the Interim Children’s Ministries Director at Oakwood Church.
