As we move forward with this month here at CCLC we continue to focus on our EMPOWERING practice. We have been "Celebrating Victory" which is choosing to find joy from focusing on the life we have been given, and are being given by God. This of course is something that should be noticed on a regular basis and not something that we only do once. This week's discipline is one that will allow you to practically Celebrate Victory without consuming a lot of your time or effort each day.
What Is Blessing?
If we are going to count our "blessings" then we should know what these "blessings" are, so.... what is a blessing? A blessing is anything that draws us closer to God, it can be a message spoke, a song sung, a flower appreciated, a good laugh with a friend... and so on as long as it reminds you of how much you love God. We have a tendency to misunderstand blessing and see it as the things that we want, but blessings are much bigger than that. Sometimes blessing comes in forums that we do not expect like the death of someone, or the loss of a job.
Why Should I Count My Blessings?
This week, each day sit down and count all the ways you have been blessed. write it in a note pad, and if you want to keep it going after this week is over then designate one notebook as your blessing book. When you do this over a long period of time you can use this as an uplifting reminder by simply opening up the book and reading all the ways that the Lord has intentionally drawn you closer to Him. It is easy for us to forget God's blessing and throw away the ways God has been faithful and blessed us. If we want to Celebrate Victory.... we should probably believe that we are victorious more than once a week!
Here are some practical steps to counting blessing.....
1) Find Space- as it is with any of our disciplines, being in a place where you can connect with your spirit is critical. This may be as simple as sitting on your porch, or staying in your car a little longer before you go into work. The main thing is choosing one ace and regularly going back there each day.
2) Pray- always always always, open your time with God in prayer and acknowledge Him in the space with you.
3) Reflect- As you look at the last 24 hours... or the last week... or the last month remember that this is meant to be a spiritual so try to focus on that. You may want to turn on worship music or maybe read some scripture before. All of this should help to connect you to the ways God is moving in your life.
4) Walk- This final step is simple, The reality of God blessing you should change the way you walk through life. So as you walk remember that you are blessed, look like you are blessed, talk like you are blessed, act like you are blessed..... because ...... YOU ARE BLESSED
