Blessed to Be a Blessing - Updated 10/22/2014

(Originally posted on 11/11/12. ) I just read this again and thought...I still feel the same way about our house and home...and in some ways, little by little, our ideas and dreams are being fulfilled. But it is taking longer than I'd like it to...I'm impatient for God to open up the heavens and floodgates and pour out His blessing on us in ways that we cannot imagine...and yet, I know He is already doing just that. I need to open my spiritual eyes to see what the Lord is doing...and keep my eyes off of the world and its circumstances that tend to drag me down. I am glad I re-read this today. I needed to be reminded of the original dream and plan...and not give up hope.  How about you? Do you need a fresh start on your dreams and plans?  Perhaps we just need to recommit ourselves and our plans to God, and remember that His timing is always perfect...and His plans are the very best!

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord,

Thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."

Jeremiah 29:11

Amen!!

Back to the Original Post:
November 11, 2012

When we came home from church today and entered the house, the very first words that came to my mind were "I am blessed to be a blessing."  We had just had a very stirring and uplifting tribute to our Veterans in our church service, and it made me feel so thankful and proud to be an American, and to live in one of the most blessed nations in the world. 



Holly Tree outside my bedroom "Open Window"
(click on pictures to enlarge)

But this is not intended to be a patriotic message.  My thoughts are on a more personal level.  I walked into my bedroom to change my clothes, and as I looked outside the windows of our room into the trees and bushes in our back yard I just suddenly felt this sense of being blessed.  There's nothing particularly special or spectacular about our trees and bushes, (although I did notice that one of the trees is a holly tree and is loaded with beautiful red holly berries...that's pretty special since I never realized it was a holly tree until recently!)

closer view of the holly berries in the tree outside my bedroom window

I just felt so overwhelmed with thankfulness for this home, in this place, at this time.  We have lived in a LOT of homes over the 43 years of our marriage.  I will not even tell you how many homes because you wouldn't believe it, and probably would not understand it, and it would take a whole book to explain it (which is the book I intend to write someday).  This home came to us miraculously almost one year ago.  No, it wasn't free...we will be paying for it for the rest of our lives, but it is affordable.  It is a house that is meant to be a blessing, and it is.  It is a blessing first of all to us. And because it is such a blessing to us, it is also meant to be a blessing to others. There is no doubt in my mind that God enabled us to have this home because He intended it to be a blessing to us, but He also intended it to be a blessing to others as well.

View outside my bedroom window

View from my bedroom window

View from my bedroom window-Large Magnolia tree on right

So, how? That is the question I've been asking ever since we came here.  The house itself is not anything particularly magnificent.  It is old, it has some issues, but nothing major that some TLC can't fix.  It's not really the physical aspects of the house that make it "special".  It is the "spiritual" aspect that creates the atmosphere for becoming a "blessing".  It's the love inside and outside these walls...it's the hope for becoming something that will bless others...it's the dream that keeps bubbling up to the surface of our minds and won't let go.  It's the drive that  keeps prompting us to "get ready for action".

Maybe it's NOT the house...maybe it's US God is preparing for action.  He has blessed US to be a blessing.  Perhaps the house was the means to get us where He needed us to be to discover the blessing He has in store for us. Possibly.  Time will tell.

What about you?  Have YOU been blessed to be a blessing? I'll bet you have. Think about it. It may not be your house, or your location. But it may be your talents, your gifts, your smile, your voice, your heart. It may be little things, like your gift for baking and sharing with others; the crafts you create and give away as gifts; your listening ears, your open heart, your compassionate soul.  You may be blessed with a gift for writing, photography, painting, music, speaking, teaching, preaching, counseling, caring. Whatever it is that God has blessed you with, the important thing is to use it for His honor and glory.  Don't let it sit idle. 

I believe our home was given to us to be used for God's honor and glory. Not just the house, but our property and our lives.  We've been preparing and getting "our house in order" in more ways than are visible to the human eye. Now we lay it before the Lord and wait for Him to show us the next step. Stay tuned. Be ready to be blessed!

Who said we don't have fall color in Florida?  These are the leaves on the Sycamore
trees in our front yard. I will miss these leaves when they all fall off the trees.

Oh, did I mention that I still want to build a little cabin in the woods?
This is the spot...If I build it, will you come? That's all a part of "the blessing"....
that is, if it is a part of God's plan. Time will tell. Stay tuned...