abundant blessings

there are those moments that hit you like a ton of bricks...those little moments where you feel God has opened up a little outlet to heaven right here on earth.

{iphone pic by rachel}

i am finding that if you train yourself, literally train yourself, to always be searching for these tiny blessings - that finding them becomes the easy part.

it is also true that it seems in the darkest, hardest trials of my life i have felt Gods hand the strongest.  i have leaned on him and depended on him more intensely and my faith has been strengthened...even if it has taken me what i later feel is too long to truly turn all over to him.

but what of the good times? the happy times? the every day life times? too often during these times i can casually forget my eyes are to always be looking towards him.  if its not praying for strength and relief and wisdom during difficult times, then there should be praises and thank yous and gracious awareness of how wonderful the "dailies" of life are.

{iphone pic by rachel}

when i think about all the things i do on a daily basis - the thoughts, actions, motions, etc that i dont even realize i am doing...the habitual things...i realize just that - i have developed a habit of doing them.  without sounding trite, i believe being grateful and thankful every day - even in the worst of times {i.e. seeing that "silver lining" or "staying positive"} - creates in you a habit of being positive and always deferring to the good things.  therefore making you a happier person.  if we are always looking for huge miracles or blatantly amazing occurrences, we miss all the wonderful blessings the Lord daily surrounds us with.

and i hate that i miss so many of them.

{am i starting to sound like a self-help-er?? :) }

if you havent read "one thousand gifts" i highly recommend it.  its a beautiful reminder of all the simple, commonly taken-for-granted things in life that should NOT be neglected or forgotten to be thanked for.  and since, personally, i love making big deals out of tiny things if it means deriving happiness....i am all behind the premise of this book :)

and when you are more aware of all the blessings the Lord DOES place in our daily lives...all those ordinary miracles we mistakenly allow the world to cloud over for us, daily life itself turns into one abundant blessing after another.

 

even if its as simple as snuggling with your sickly 11 month old watching praise baby while her unborn baby brother kicks her in the back. 

or almost tearing up upon walking into "sesame street live" with your four year old because you are so excited for how excited THEY are {dont laugh...or do laugh. im fine with that! :) }

or dipping warm french bread into hot savory chicken noodle soup

or just watching butterflies flutter and land on wildflowers at sunset.

{iphone pic by rachel}

i love feeling God in all these moments...and realizing that - even when i neglected to or forgot to thank him for them - he was always there in them just the same. 

how great is our God??

{oldie but a goodie - gets me every time}