Hidden Blessings

Isaiah 45:3
And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by name, am the God of Israel.

Wow! Ten inches is a lot of snow! That's what we measured in our backyard last week. As I watched it fall I remarked on its beauty. Covering roads, fields, trees and shrubs it adorned the landscape like white velvet draped gently over the landscape. I looked at it and thought, What marvelous beauty!

Many hours later while my husband and I were shoveling, sweeping and blowing that lovely white covering off the driveway and parking lot my perspective changed. Suddenly it didn't seem so lovely. It was heavy and wet and cold. Clearing it away was quite a job. I stared at it and thought, What a heavy burden!

The next morning just after my husband left for work (that's always when things go wrong!) I discovered the refrigerator wasn't running. The things inside were barely cold and the ice cream in the freezer was already melting. Now what? I stood in front of the sink gazing out the kitchen window and breathed a silent prayer. "Lord what am I going to do with all this food until I can get this refrigerator taken care of ? I have to leave for work in a little while and I don't have time to go buy a new fridge . . ." My thoughts ran in all different directions. Then it hit me and I started to laugh. The view from the window showed me how beautifully the Lord had already provided for my need. There, covering my entire backyard, was 10 inches of natural refrigeration. So I pulled the things from the freezer, packed them in ice chests and buried them in the snow. I grabbed jugs and jars and plopped them right along side the ice chests. Finally I stood up straight, surveyed the situation and said, "Thank you Lord for the snow. All ten inches of it!" At that moment I looked at it and thought, What an wonderful blessing!

Isn't it funny how your view of a situation changes how you feel about it? In my mind that snow went from being beautiful, to burdensome, to beneficial. I wonder how many blessings I've missed because I didn't see a situation from the right perspective.

Lord, every day I face situations that are frustrating and bothersome, yet I know that nothing comes into my life that You are not aware of. Open my eyes to see the hidden blessings that lie behind my negative perspective, and let me rejoice in Your great goodness to me.

By Ann Shorb
©Copyright Ann Shorb, 2006

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Related articles and devotionals:
Take Time to Laugh
Mirror, Mirror On the Wall
From the Lips of a Child
Thank Him for His Creation
The Beauty of Creation

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