Learning to Listen to My Own Advice…The Power of the Small Gifts

So a few days ago I wrote about small gifts actually being big blessings. What I didn’t do was listen to my own writing. This week has been a hard week on me. Nothing oppressive has come my way, nothing hard, it has just been a hard week. I watched as bitterness crept in and it affected my attitude with my coworkers, my friends, family, and myself. Today, however, I had a nice kick in the pants.

Yesterday I sat down in my room and just asked God to please help me shake this bad attitude. I was able to recognize it in myself, but for some reason wasn’t able to get rid of it myself. It wasn’t until God opened my eyes to some small blessings that I saw Him working and heard Him talking to me. As many of you know, or don’t know, I absolutely love cold weather. Snow invokes so many powerful memories in me. I remember the mountains, I remember loved ones, I remember precious moments, I remember the power of God, etc… Snow and cold weather have a powerful effect on me. So to check out the weather and see a forecast of snow in Houston…well needless to say, I saw God in that. You can laugh at it or say its no big deal, its just snow…but that’s my point. It is just snow, but yet for me, it is a very big blessing. I walked around the office today with a smile on my face. It was the smile a child had on his or her face when they are opening that prized present on Christmas morning. That was me. I was a kid at Christmas today. It was a nice reminder from God that one, I can’t shake the attitude myself and I need to rely on Him and two, He loves and thinks of me. And you know, the next small gift today may be a bit goofy to you as well, but for those who know me…I am a pumpkin fiend. I can’t get enough of the stuff. I wasn’t able to sneak away from work today for lunch so as I went into the kitchen to get a glass of water, what was on the table for anyone to partake in? A big, round, scrumptious pumpkin pie. Yep, it is goofy, but totally God. God meets us at the point of our need, and what I needed was an attitude adjustment. Remember to keep your eyes and ear open every day to see those small gifts.

Small gifts are God’s way of saying “I’ve got ya.” Sometimes it is very easy to just feel alone, to feel like you’ve got to do it all on your own and then it hits you that you can’t. You see, we aren’t designed to do it on our own. Sure, we CAN try, but we fail ourselves just like others fail us. That’s where faith in Jesus comes in. He’s more than a crutch, He is my sustainer. When I try to do it on my own, well, days like I have had this week are my fruits. Sometimes we can coast and manage to do it alone, but eventually decay takes over and we watch as our kingdoms fall. Don’t believe me? Give it a try, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Again, this is where Jesus comes into play. You see, we have tried our ways and they aren’t God’s ways.

Isaiah 53:4-6
“Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.”

Jesus paid it all. The small gift of a child turned into the huge blessing of salvation. Jesus went from the manger to the cross, from the cross to the grave, and then Jesus conquered death. He paid the price for our sins and did it knowing full and well what price He’d have to pay. Jesus loves you and He loves me. Remember that.