Are You Blocking Your Blessings? by Mary Loging

Whether we are speeding or just ambling along life’s path, we are going to hit some bumps in the road. Fortunately, life’s journey is liberally sprinkled with blessings which help ease the impact of these bumps.

Why is it then that some of us persist in placing boulders directly in our own pathway, obstructing the flow of blessings? Do you recognize any of these boulders in your daily life? How we deal with these boulders is directly related to our ability to receive blessings.

• Boulder of fear
• Boulder of complaining
• Boulder of negativity
• Boulder of complacency
• Boulder of entitlement

Blessings are all around us but our spirit and mind must be open and “navigable” in order to receive them. We can’t see or experience or recognize blessings when we are paralyzed by fear, when complaints spew from our lips, when we are cloaked in negativity, when our senses are shredded by chaos or when our ego triggers feelings of entitlement.

We can experience a continuing abundance of blessings when our spirit avenues are open and are swept clear of these boulders that are part of the human condition.

Consider using these “boulder busters” to clear the way for a happier, more joyful life.

Faith is a fear buster. A well known acronym for FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real. Blogger Jenny Finch states this about fear: “Think of how many talents, dreams, goals, businesses, gifts, jobs, relationships and so much more go to the grave with people “. Fear is a boulder stopping us from experiencing the life for which we were each uniquely created. Blow away this fear boulder with faith. Three of my favorite scriptures state: 1 Peter 5:7 Let Him have all your worries and cares, for He is always thinking about you and watching everything that concerns you. Philippians 4:6-7 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything; tell God your needs, and don’t forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ. Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”. Grasping these truths gives us the strength to demolish the fear boulder.

Praise is a complaining buster.  Writer Steve Pavalina says about complaining: “Complaining is the act of reinforcing what you don’t want and intending even more of it.” Do you get that? What we dwell on and focus on guarantees that we’ll get more of the same thing. The Bible does not tell us to complain but rather to praise God continually, “.. therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” (Heb. 13:15 KJV). We cannot have complaints in a mind and heart full of praise. “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Ephesians 4:29). Erase the complaint boulder with praise.

Gratitude is a negativity buster. Sarah Young tells us in “Jesus Calling: Finding Peace in His Presence” that our hearts and minds must be grateful. The devotional reading for July 4th states that our praises are heard in heaven. This gratitude clears the way to God. Sarah states, “With the way between us wide open, My blessings fall upon you in rich abundance”. “In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). Cultivating a grateful heart and mind is a powerful force against the negativity boulder. Being grateful instead of negative opens our spirit to receive blessings.

Meditation is a chaos buster. The boulder of chaos is characterized by anxious and negative thoughts, by worry and hand-wringing. Through meditation, we acknowledge the fact that we are spirit beings in a human body. We renew our mind and our spirit and can then focus on the good “.., but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Romans 12:2)”. We are instructed to not be anxious in “Philippians 4:6-8 Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. Luke 12:22-26, NIV: “Then Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?’” With our spirit and mind calmed, we can see the chaos boulder dissipate.

Giving is an entitlement buster. “It is not fair” our child cries when she or he is overlooked for selection on a sports team. As adults, we may even feel the “it is not fair” syndrome when life takes something or someone from us. With maturity we can come to understand that no one is promised fairness. 2 Corinthians 9: 6 states: He who sows sparingly and grudgingly will also reap sparingly and grudgingly, and he who sows generously [that blessings may come to someone] will also reap generously and with blessings. Acts 20: 35 It is more blessed to give than to receive. We can abolish the entitlement boulder by developing a giving attitude.

A Few of My Dear Friends on Blessings

Diana says that a blessing: “… comes from a place that is least expected, and it is also totally unexpected. It just kind of drops in your lap, but you know…because it has no strings attached, it flows without problems, and it gives you perfect peace.” Diana practices gratitude and thankfulness which opens the way for her to receive blessings.

Nancy says: “I don’t always recognize blessings…sometimes they come disguised as problems.” Nancy inspires me with the way she uses prayer and meditation to find the blessings within the boulders.

Brenda says: “Sometimes, I recognize a blessing because I see someone with such a different life from mine…a man with no legs, a friend who will never get to be a grandmother”. Brenda is part of a long-standing praise and prayer group which helps each other handle the boulders in their lives.

Linda says of blessings: “It is a mind thing. One can choose to “see” almost everything as a blessing or be blind to all the gifts. The mind switch is mandatory to recognize blessings. Change the way you see your life and you change your life. Once the switch in “seeing” happens then you start to live a life of gratitude. Once you live a life of gratitude, the more blessings you receive. Life itself is a blessing. I see all things that make up my life as blessings. They are so integrated in my daily life, I do not see them separate from breathing.” Linda is one of my “she-roes” for the manner in which she blasts away the boulders in her life.

What blessings do you have in your life?