MMH5 – Five Overlooked Blessings

Monday Morning High Five

Continuing our list of all things 5 to hopefully bring a smile to your Monday.

God is weird. At least from our perspective He is. In our mind it would be so easy to fix things. World hunger? Make it rain Buffalo Chicken Subs from Subway. Broken economy? Heavenly bailout! See? Pretty easy. Sometimes Most often our “easy way out” isn’t what’s best for us in the long run, and for whatever reason, certain things happen that we’ll never understand. One thing we’ll never understand in full is a blessing from God. Blessings can come in all shapes and forms. Sometimes they are exactly what you hope them to be: Family, freedom, employment.  Other times, blessings come in a form that doesn’t instantly make itself aware as a blessing. In fact, they can look like the exact opposite of a blessing, but God gave it to you to be a help.

You can call these “blessings in disguise” or whatever you’d like, but here is my list of the top five overlooked blessings:

photo by nealpage

Trials – In James chapter 1, James tells us to “count it all joy” when we find ourselves in trials or temptations. I’m going to write this in the “Easier said than done” category.  This is one of those verses that we can easily point to and quote for others who are going through trials and temptations. When we’re the ones? “You don’t understand what I’m going through!” Well, surprisingly the Bible was also written for self-improvement, and not just showing people what they need to work on. Yes, trials are no frolic in daisies, but they are important in the growth and development of the character we need to be better Christians. If you think back on your life about some of your life’s trials, hindsight may show you the reason for them. God will never give you something that He doesn’t think you could handle.

People who disagree with you – You may think, “There’s no way that people who disagree with me can be considered a blessing.” Well, you’re wrong. One of the best ways to develop a reassurance of what you truly believe in, is having someone disagree with you.  It can also be a great way to open your eyes to look at things in a different perspective. Why? Because hey, we’ve all been wrong at one point or another.

Pain – This could also fall under “Trials”, but I wanted to specifically note this. Pain alerts us that there’s something wrong, and it also lets us know that we’re alive. Whether it’s physical or emotional pain, it is also a crucial part of the development process of humanity. It also shows us how great happiness and joy truly are. We wouldn’t have a good definition of joy if we didn’t know what the opposite was. Happiness wouldn’t be as sweet without pain.

Change in plans – Nothing so little can frustrate me so much as a change in plans.  Whether it is traffic, a bum alarm clock, closed restaurant, or an expired coupon; these little frustrations will eat me up inside. However, these can be blessings. Things could have been worse, opportunities may open up, conversations started, and friendships made. A lot depends on how you treat these little change in plans, but they may be a blessing in disguise.

Patience – Some say that “Patience is a virtue”. I say that virtue is just patience’s excuse for showing up late. I’m not one for patience. I like to keep things moving and hate waiting for anything. However, patience is one of the by-products of the trying of our faith. It is a blessing. If we have patience, James 1:4 tells us that we’ll be perfect and entire. We wouldn’t need to want anymore. I think the best way to illustrate how patience can be blessing is thinking back on family vacations. You wanted to get to your destination so bad. You couldn’t wait till you were there on the beach or amusement park. Looking back on the trip, you realize that most of the fun was in the ride getting there.

“He that can have Patience, can have what he will” – Benjamin Franklin

What about you? Do you have any examples of a blessing in disguise? Or has one of these actually been a direct blessing in your life?

Related posts:

1. Blessings Week, Next Week
2. Blessings Week
3. Verse of the Week: Psalm 34:1 – Bless the Lord
4. Missed Blessing