Blessings Blog

Today I'm thankful that my dear aunt and uncle could swing through Northfield on their way from Iowa to the airport! It was simply wonderful to spend time with them, give them the tour of my adorable house, and be taken out to lunch as a housewarming gift. My aunt also surprised me with another housewarming gift, culinary genius, caterer, and foodie that she is, she gave me the first member of a kitchen knife set that I hope will come together as life progresses. For now, I am grateful for an eclectic and extensive bundle of hand-me-down kitchen items and excited to hone skills of feeding myself with the first chef knife of my own.  

I'm also thankful for an email from one of my YMCA Zumba class members to potentially start another Zumba class in town, for time to do my friend bible study/life update email well and completely, and for an impromptu housemate movie night even though I had to miss the last few minutes to run off to Mustard Seed.

And I'd like to share an article that I read today called "How God Uses Relationships to Make You Better." It's another good reminder of how we are not called to walk through this life alone! And maybe you connect with God best when you are alone, but we also are blessed to have the opportunity to surround ourselves by people who draw out the more godly qualities in us. We will also find ourselves confronted with others who challenge us in different ways and we may have ugly instincts, but this article talks about how these relationships also help us chisel away to the masterpiece God has created that lies within. "Christianity, at it's truest form, is not really about getting better by self-improvement, but about dying to your old self and seeing the life of Christ form in you... Community is where the gospel is most lived out. Every day you rub up against certain people who are different than you. And you have to love, tolerate, forgive, repent. You have to adapt, sacrifice and grow." Here's the link if you want to check it out: http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/daniel-darling/how-god-uses-relationships-to-make-you-better.html

He concludes, "This matters because it affects our perspective. We should see other people in our lives not as irritants, but as divine tools sent by God for our sanctification. So that irascible boss--perhaps God put him in your world to chip off parts of your old self that needed chipping off. That troublesome child that tests your patience. Perhaps its God wanting to work on your heart and soul to bear the fruits of the Spirit.  Every single relationship for a Christian is an opportunity for sanctification and growth." Every twinkle of love is a blessing, and every unpleasant confrontation we must reframe as an opportunity God has given us to respond with love and grace.