Counting Blessings

When Elijah arrived at the home of the widow of Zarephath, she gave him a drink of water and a morsel of bread.  Her giving to him seems to have been given grudgingly, but she gave it, nonetheless.  In some ways it brings to mind the poor woman Jesus saw giving the gift of two copper coins at the Temple.  Like the woman of Jesus' day, the widow of Zarephath appears to have given all she had.  In response to her gift, Elijah spoke a Word from the Lord, "The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth."  (I Kings 17:14)

 

Every day this woman had a reminder of the provision of God.  Surely, the first mornings she was amazed at the unending source of meal and oil.  In the beginning she probably could not believe her eyes, but after a time, the amazement must have turned into expectation.  When expectation takes the place of amazement at the blessings of God, gratitude is quickly replaced by an entitled "take it for granted" attitude.  What prompts all this reading between the lines is the widow's response to Elijah being used by God to bring life back into her dead son.  "Now I know that you are a man of God, and the word of the Lord in your mouth is true."  (I Kings 17:24)

 

How we can fall into the same mindset as the widow of Zarephath is hard to figure, but we often do.  Our amazement at God's gifts to us can turn into expectation.  When we are truly mindful of the way we are being blessed and when we start each day looking for the blessings that abound, we are much more likely to live with gratitude.  Taking for granted the blessings of God leads to a thankless life, but counting blessings and naming them one by one does indeed have a way of creating a grateful heart.