"They had...many other miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day."
– Alma 37:40
Several years ago, during one deathly hot and sticky summer, my husband was asked to give the invocation in our worship service one Sunday at church. During my husband's prayer, he thanked Heavenly Father for the air conditioning that kept the building so comfortable. Amazingly, you could hear giggles all through the chapel, like he had just said something embarrassing!
As my husband left the podium and headed back towards our seats, the bishop's counselor, who was conducting the meeting that day, stood and said, "I for one am extremely grateful for the air conditioning in this building." He then went on to explain that he had recently returned from a short deployment to Afghanistan. He was a surgeon, and his job required him to perform surgeries in an un-air-conditioned, unventilated tent, with stifling temperatures in the 100's, and insects buzzing around. It was one of the more unsanitary situations he had had to work in, and it made him more and more grateful for the small miracles in life we have become accustomed to.
What miracles does God bless you with day by day in your home? Central air-conditioning? Central heating? Electric appliances in your kitchen? Water running to different rooms? A home with walls that are not made of plywood? A floor not made of dirt? A kitchen filled with food?
What about your family? Are you one of those blessed women who has a husband to nurture and confide in? Are you blessed with the physical ability to give birth to children? Do you have a loving relationship with your parents?
I watched a news program once that interviewed a woman in Iraq. The reporter asked the woman, What are your biggest priorities in taking care of your family? She said the top three concerns were her children's education, getting enough nutritious food for them, and making sure they survive illness and disease.
OK, I have to say that NONE of these are majorly big concerns in my life. I live in an area with terrific public schools and educators for my children, and we have SO much food in the house and at the store I have to be careful to not get fat. And surviving?? Well, 99.999% of children I know survive. With incredibly sanitary living conditions and medical care available practically everywhere, survival isn't even an issue.
What marvelous miracles these are! God is SO generous to me and my family, that sometimes I don't even recognize the generosity anymore. And I should.
Take this moment today to recognize the miracles God sends to you, day by day by day.
With love,
I thank God daily for the hot water in my shower! :) Great post! Hopping from What I Learned This Week!
ReplyDeleteLoved this post.
ReplyDeleteYep! Thanking The Lord for my husband, my best friend and constant companion. I'm blessed!
ReplyDeleteI take for granted this like air-conditioning, clean water, refrigerators, food in the cupboards, soft beds, warm blankets, ... I could go on and on. I think it's wonderful that your husband took the time to show his grateful heart for such things.
ReplyDeleteWe do so easily forget the every day miracles don't we? I'm thankful to be able to connect with some many other moms all over the world through the internet! It's an amazing community!
ReplyDeleteMary Beth
newlifesteward.com
Thank you for the reminder to be thankful for the "little" things that we so easily take for granted!
ReplyDeleteI love your focus on the "little" things that really aren't so little after all. One that often gets me thinking is a flushing toilet; I am so thankful I have that because I do not like the alternative!
ReplyDeleteI know we live in a great nation but medical care - unless you have good insurance - is not available to all, especially the middle class. It cost me $111.00 to walk in my clinics doors and I have to pay in advance unless it is a major emergency.
ReplyDeleteAside from that we are a pretty spoiled nation overall. Like you I have all the conveniences and plenty of food.
But I know on the Reservations here in SD many elderly freeze to death in the winter because they can't afford to pay their heating bills and air conditioning is simply not available to most unless they somehow got a window one. There is still a lot of poverty in this nation of ours but many just don't see it. I hope more people open their eyes and realize that even if we can't be missionaries abroad we can be at home.
http://theemptynestexpress.com
Thank you for reminding me of how close poverty really is in our communities. Here in San Antonio, the city collects donated box fans for the elderly who don't have a/c, otherwise they die of heat exhaustion. It reminds me of Mark 4:17. Yes, we should always do our best to be Christ's hands here at home.
DeleteMy friend and I often have this discussion that in the "west" we are blessed. I don't know what i would do without my running water, good health care and food readily available. I thank God for those everyday.
ReplyDeleteSo true. I am thankful for the blessing of health, family and friends among so many other things. Thank you reminding us how something as everyday as a roof over our heads is something to be very thankful for.
ReplyDeletethis was powerful, thank you for linking and sharing.
ReplyDeleteThis was beautiful, thank you! My husband came back from Haiti a few weeks ago and brought with him a "dirt cookie". This is a "cookie" that the very poor in Haiti make of dirt, sawdust and salt. It's what they eat to survive. It absolutely broke my heart to think of hungry people eating dirt just to stay alive while I sit here frustrated that there's "nothing to eat in this house". We are learning as a family to be more grateful for what we have, and to be more proactive about what we can do to help those who don't.
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up with me, so glad to find you!