Blessed and Grateful

The creation is indeed a spectacular thing to behold.  What one of us has not marveled at the coloring of a sunset, or been mindful of infinity at the place where water and earth meet, or spent time in amazement at the diversity of the creatures which share this space with us?  The stars send our thoughts heavenward, the storms send us scurrying for safety, and the people around us have more stories to tell than there are books to read.  Indeed, what God has put before us is nothing less than astounding and amazing!

But, to think about all of this another way is to consider how what we see in the creation blesses us.  Why is this of significance?  It is significant because what blesses us becomes something for which we are likely to express gratitude.  To be aware of how we are blessed by all that is around us just might enable us to live with an ongoing spirit of thanksgiving.  We might even find ourselves coming to the point of being thankful in the difficult and dark moments of our life.

So, instead of just marveling at the sunset, we could allow ourselves to think in the midst of the moment about the many ways the sun blesses us.   It warms us on cooler days.  It provides light for our work.  It is the source of order for the planets that spin around it.  It blesses us.  Or, consider the tree which is caught in the fading light of the evening.  Its foliage provides shade.  Its leaves create mulch to enrich the earth.  And, some even produce fruit and nuts for us to eat.  It blesses us.  Once we turn our mind loose to roam, there is no end to the ways creation blesses us and no end to the many more things for which we become thankful.