FMF: VBS Blessings

When I saw the word prompt for the week I thought, "Well, this will be easy."

After all, I've been making it a point to try to be a glass half-full type of girl, and look on the bright side.

And I do completely buy into that cliché that your problems are nothing compared to someone else's, and what you're being inconvenienced with someone else is praying for.

I could list my blessings here for all of you to read, but I don't think that's what God really wants us to do.

Because He has promised us an abundant life, full of exceedingly more than we could ever ask or imagine.

The true blessings, though, are often unexpected.

I think back a couple of weeks ago to Vacation Bible School. I AM NOT meant to be a grade school teacher, y'all... and am MOST DEFINITELY not meant to be a preschool teacher.

Yet as I sat in the floor telling the story of Esther, seeing the little ones stare at the tiara  and some of the older ones eyes get big when I told them it took the girls a whole year to get ready for this beauty pageant, I saw more than just kiddos sitting on the carpet.

I saw a near three year old who was one of her family's saving graces. After Mamaw Na died, Braylee and Lily brought such joy in our lives. At events where there was a gaping hole missing her firecracker presence, there were these little drops of sunshine that we could be in awe of.

I saw two brothers whose Dad is overseas. Full of life and mischief, their smiles make me smile. I'm sure they face hard days. I'm sure they are lonely, and one would question where the blessing is in this situation... but it's there... in them. And they wormed their way into my son's heart and blessed him in the process.

I saw a teenage girl who had a witty response to every question and an ability to express herself. She'll do great things, this young lady.

Each one of those kiddos had a story. I don't know all of them... but God does.

And each one of those kiddos is a blessing, even if they don't know it.

Because in their attention and their discussion and their questioning, they blessed me...

more than I ever could have blessed them.

We're told to bless those who curse us, and I truly struggle with this, because too often I want to hang on to the wrong.

Here's the thing, though. We only have so much space in our hearts, and if we're filling it with negativity from people who probably couldn't care less, we're unable to fill it with simple blessings like the laughter of a child, the sparkling eyes and the skinned knees and the toothless grins.

Blessings that will grow up to influence others...

The cycle continues.

Linking up with Five Minute Friday today, where we write for five minutes on one word, unedited. This piece may have taken longer than five minutes =)

(Image courtesy of Five Minute Friday website).