Blessings in Bleakness

If I ever took a loss, I learned a lesson
I won't ever think I'm better than the next man
I've been down before the come up, I ain't stressin'
I'm too busy countin' all these blessings


Lecrae's song Blessings encourages us to look for the good in our failures, losses, and trials. Counting our blessings with everything seemingly collapsing around us is not a popular self-care technique, but needs to be. When we walk around every day, we pass so many painful people. Think about walking around an infectious disease while carrying around the antidote. We do that in a way when we carry around the true Hope and purpose given to us by God, but fail to inject its truth into anyone we meet. Many times, we do this because we are such hurting and broken people. When we focus on our own critiques, failures, losses, and past "diseases", we again are choosing to throw the antidote out the window to instead battle the problem alone.

Isaiah 38:17 says "It was for my own good that I had such troubles. Because you love me very much, you did not let me die but threw my sins far away." How can troubles be a good thing? How can our deepest grief have a value? It is only through a relationship with our true Father that we can even possibly see a blessing in bleakness. Every loss is a lesson and we tend to only earnestly begin calling the giver of all blessings when life is falling apart. He waits all day and night for a text, snap, call to Him but we get so caught up in life.

In the book of Isaiah, King Hezekiah is told he is about to die after getting very sick. He immediately pleads to the Lord for more time on earth and this prayer is answered. As soon as he is healed, he brings foreigners into his country and braggingly shows them all of his wealth and treasures in his palace. Not realizing, he was actually showing the enemy his identity, his value, and his true vulnerability. The prophet Isaiah later told him that the same country whom he displayed his true treasure to, would eventually take captive his palace and all the treasure within it.

Life is so full of pain and failures. Our treasure is stolen, sickness plagues us, and grief surrounds us. Everywhere we turn are other hurting people. In the past week, I was able to listen to the cries of a man who no longer wanted to live. His whole life appeared to be falling apart and he longed to end it all. As i listened to him curse God in what could be his last moments before he enters eternity, I thought how sad to go out in that way. Cursing your creator as you exit. Yet across the country, this is how many people die. I listened to his rage and truly identified with much of his painful prose. However, his current situation was temporary. Suicide is so permanent and hurtful to all those around us. The difference between that man and you and I is that we have a hope. When you dont have any hope or any purpose, you cannot see blessings in pain. Without pain in surgery, you will never heal. Healing is so important in life. Without pain, we cannot heal. Without healing, we will never change for better. I want to change for better. I want to clearly see the blessings in my life. I want to change my losess into opportunities to relate, love, and praise God for his never leaving my side. "But the people who trust the Lord will become strong again. They will rise up as an eagle in the sky; they will run and not need rest; they will walk and not become tired." Isaiah 40:31.

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