Have you ever stopped to think about the fact that small blessings – or what we consider small blessings – really aren’t small at all? They occur like clockwork, so we don’t think about them and we most often neglect being grateful for them until something happens and they change or disappear.
The precision in which our body works is nothing short of miraculous. Reportedly, our heart beats approximately 4,800 times a minute and 115,200 times per day. Our heart is the engine that keeps our body running and orchestrates the symphony that allows us to enjoy a measure of health. But what happens when that beat becomes irregular, or even worse, if it stops completely?
A few years ago, I had a near death experience which resulted in my heart stopping. I had to be defibrillated eight times and on total life support for 13 days. The impact of my heart stopping resulted in my lungs collapsing, my renal system failing, and my kidneys shutting down. Lots of prayer, a diligent medical staff, and most of all, God working a miracle, brought me back with a renewed appreciation of how fleeting and fragile life is. Needless to say, that experience birthed in me an overwhelming sense of gratitude for this gift we call life; and a feeling of humility that God spared my life for what I am sure is a divine purpose.
The fact that we can breathe without an oxygen tank connected to us is a blessing. Have you ever had to breathe with your mouth open instead of through your nose? Not only is it uncomfortable, but it dries out your tongue. God has so intricately designed us that to keep our eyeballs lubricated, we need to blink 28,800 times a day. We do that without thinking, and take what seems to be small a blessing for granted. But what would happen if suddenly you were unable to blink? I’m sure you would find out very quickly how vital blinking is to your ability to see. What if you were suddenly unable to talk or hear, or have movement in your limbs? Those blessings that we take for granted wouldn’t be so small if they were suddenly taken away. You get my point.
I typically start each of my therapy sessions with asking my clients to tell me something good. As they struggle to come up with something good, I help them by mentioning the fact that they are alive and they made it in to the office today. I had one client say to me, “Every day above ground is a good day.” He could not have been more correct. No matter how little you think you have, be mindful of the fact that someone else has less. No matter what your circumstances or situation may be, it could always be worse. The psalmist David was so right when he expressed his awe, humility, and gratitude as he proclaimed, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, I know them well” (Psalm 139:14).
We have heard it said, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.” And perhaps in some things, that may be true. But small things can become big things if they suddenly go missing.
Every day is a day of Thanksgiving and the opportunity to think, read, talk, hear, feel, smell, and enjoy this wonderful world God placed in our care. Let us not neglect to say thank you for the apparent small blessings, because when you think about it, they really aren’t small at all.
Peace and Blessings,
Gail