Taking for Granted or Blessed to be Granted?

My husband took a picture of our closet. I am not sure why. Maybe he was playing with the camera. Looking at this picture afterward, though, it make me think. Wow. I told Hubby that this photograph made me think of a topic about which I should write.

Do we take for granted what we have, or do we know that we are blessed to be granted what we have?

We have two walk-in closets in our bedroom. This is the smaller of the two.

I measure it and discovered that this closet is approximately 72 square feet. How does that fit into the perspective of being blessed?

There is a family of six at San Antonio de Palopo, Guatemala, who live in a 216 square foot house. That is the size of my closet three times. We barely have enough room in the closet for our clothes, and there is a father, a mother, and their four children living in something equal to just three of this closet. If you live in the United States of America, chances are that your bedroom is larger than this family's home. Are you blessed?

I was reading something written by a woman who was excited by the opportunity to get a rental car. She and her son usually ride buses and trains to get where they are going. She mentioned that riding on a bus can be uncomfortable and loud and put you around rude people and in uncomfortable situations. She mentioned that being in your own car gives you peace.

When you are riding in your car, do you consider it a place of peace? Do you appreciate it? Do you instead complain about the traffic, the cost of fuel, something else? If you have one, do you realize how blessed you are to have a car? Two? Three?

Do you get out of bed in the morning and take a shower? Do you ever soak is a relaxing bath? Is there a faucet where you can pour yourself a glass of water? Do you have a washing machine, or can you go to a laundromat to clean your clothes? Do you cook with water? Do you appreciate how blessed you are to have available, clean water to do all of these things and so much more?

Do you know that there are people who do not have access to clean water? Can you imagine drinking, bathing, washing your clothes, etc. in filth -- and to top it off, having that be normal?

While searching the internet for a photograph to use, I came across the web site for Living Water International. That is not where I found the picture above, however, I am sharing a link with you because it is an interesting web site and well worth checking out.

It is time to start getting ready for church, so I am going to finish this post. Oh. Church. The privilege to go that so many take for granted and so many others do not have. Yet another thing with which I am blessed. What blessings do you see in your life that you may take for granted?

Failure

You know that it has happened to you. You failed. You got discouraged. Maybe you even quit. Better yet, maybe you did not. People think of failure as a bad thing, and in that moment it may be. Here are some examples of famous people who failed, and then I will expand on that.

- Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks opened an animation studio in 1920, and the business collapsed after just one month.

- Jennifer Aniston auditioned to be a member of the Saturday Night Live cast, but she did not make the cut.

- Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team because of his "lack of skill."

- Marilyn Monroe was dropped, just one year into her contract because her producer thought that she was unattractive and could not act.

- Henry Ford had two automobile companies that failed before he incorporated Ford Motor Company.

- Barbra Streisand made her stage debut in a show that closed after one performance.

Albert Einstein, Abraham Lincoln, Soichiro Honda, Fred Astaire, and so many more people about whom you might know failed -- and failed big -- at some point in their lives. There is one thing that you may hope to have in common with all of these people, though. They tried. As a matter of fact, the only possible way for you to fail is to try.

If you do not want to fail, that is easy. Just do not try. Think of it this way: Thomas Edison is said to have done over 9,000 experiments before creating a successfully working light bulb. Do you think that he did the same thing over and over again? No. Of course not. He learned from his experiences, tried different things, and kept going.

YOU can do the same thing. When you fail at something, figure out why, learn from it, try again, and keep going. Failure means that an effort was made, that you are doing something to hopefully work toward your success. Good for you! Keep going.

Fun Friday - Sharing News

At a local moms web site today, someone asked if anyone had any funny or cute stories about how they shared the news that they were pregnant. I do have a cute story about how we shared the news at church.

We did not "tell" people, per se. We chose a feminine, long-sleeve, cotton shirt and had it embroidered high on the one side (where you might see a business logo or a shirt pocket) with Psalm 127:3. Whenever anyone asked what the verse said, we played dumb and waited for them to look it up. Hehe. People who got it had the best expressions and reactions. A couple of people were a little bit lost but eventually came around.

Then, some time later, Hubby and I were doing a drama of the Lord's Prayer that is an interactive conversation with God. Here is what I mean.

Me: Our Father, who art in Heaven-
God: Yeess?
Me: Do not interumpt me; I am praying!
God: I know. You called me.
Me: Called you? No, I did not. I am praying. Our Father, who art in Heaven-
God: There. You did it again.
Me: Did what?
God: You called me. You said, "Our Father, who art in Heaven." Here I am. What do you need?

Then it went on and we continued the conversation as I said each part of The Lord's Prayer. Then, further down....

Me: And give us this day, our daily bread.
God: You should probably lay off of the bread a bit, too, because you are gaining some weight.
Me: What?! I am pregnant!

Ha! This got some interesting reactions from people who did not find out the first time.

We like to do things with a fun twist whenever we can. Maybe one day I will tell you about the garter at our wedding.

Do you have any cute stories that you would like to share just because they are fun or just because they make you smile? Go for it!

Letting Yourself Enjoy Life

We took Boy to the swimming pool the other night for the first time this season.

During his first summer, Boy enjoyed the swimming pool and even learned to float. We floated along the lazy river with him. We played in the children's area with him. He was even starting to learn to kick. He was comfortable with the water.

During his second summer, Boy did not want much to do with going into the pool water. He would put his feet at the edge -- a little bit -- and he would run around the pool and play outside of the water, yet that was his comfort limit.

This is Boy's third summer, and he was cautiously playing at first. Then he was all about the fun! He jumped into his Poppie's arms. He kicked his legs while we held him. He played with water toys. He climbed up the ladder and down the stairs. Boy even willingly went under water with me a couple of times while I held his nose. He was having a happy time.

Does this pattern of behavior seem familiar to you (minus the pool hair)?

Think about it. Do you ever discover something new and not really think about it at first? For whatever reason, you just accept it. Then, later, when you take the time to think about it, you are unsure if you are comfortable with it. You shy away. Finally, when you have more time to learn about it and "test the waters," you decide that it might be okay. Oh, and having someone by your side does not hurt.

A small child is learning about the things of this world. When a child discovers something, it may take them a while to understand it and accept it. As adults, we have an advantage because we have lived for many years and [hopefully] learned from many experiences. Sooo...what is our excuse for being so apprehensive when it comes to new and exciting possibilites?

Do we lack faith? Do we lack trust? Do we lack self-confidence? Why would we when we have someone who is with us and watches over us wherever we go?

My prayer for Boy is that my husband and I will raise him to know this and that he will feel confident in himself and secure in the Lord on whatever path he takes.

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. -Proverbs 22:6

You Are Not Good Enough

Do you ever feel like you are not good enough? Do others make you feel like you are not good enough? Why?

Who are you?

If you are not sure of the answer to that question, let me help you. YOU are a child of God. God. There is no one above God, and you are His child. Would you dare to tell God's child that he or she is "not good enough?"

Then why would you believe that about yourself?

You are right. You are far from perfect. So am I. It can be confusing at time to believe that God would want anything to do with any of us. However, when you read the Bible, you will note that God loved and used many flawed and imperfect people to accomplish His works here on Earth. If you do not know the Bible very well, or at all, and are curious, here are two examples.

King David lusted after and had an affair with Bathsheba, who was married to Uriah the Hittite. King David decided that he wanted Bathsheba for himself, so he had Uriah murdered. Gee, he was a swell guy, eh?

Rahab was a prostitute. Enough said?

Would you agree that these two people were not perfect? Of course! They have "mess" written all over them. They were still God's children, though, and they were part of God's plan in a variety of areas. (You may remember the story of David and Goliath.) Most importantly, though, David and Rahab, and plenty of other imperfect people, were part of the lineage that brought Jesus Christ to Earth.

...and we can do all things through Christ, sooo...

Stop thinking that you do not have the right education, you are a slow learner, you are not good looking enough, you do not come from a good enough family, or any negative thing about yourself.

Were David and Rahab "good enough?"

You are a child of God, and that makes you special, beautiful, capable. If it is your purpose to do something, then you can bet that you will be good enough to do it. Do not bring yourself down with self-doubt, and do not give anyone else the power to bring you down.

Now lay your right arm across your front and put your hand on your back. Then put your left arm across your front and put your hand on your back. Did you do it? You have just given yourself a hug. I bet your feel better already!

Fun Friday - Weekend ABCs

Using the next letter of the alphabet, share something that you would like to do this weekend. Whether you are actually going to do it or not is irrelevant. It is all about what you would like to do, so have fun with it!

A = This weekend, I would like to AVOID the heat!

Thankful on Thursday - People

Who is someone for whom you are thankful and why? I am not referring to the obvious people who are important to us every day, like firefighters and soldiers and doctors. I am talking about a regular, every day person who may normally not even come to mind.

For example, I am thankful for the person who bag groceries at the supermarket because if I had to get every little thing into the car and drag every big thing without handles, it would be quiet the hassle. Imagine how many trips back and forth to the car it would take just to bring your food and supplies inside when with bags, it could be done in one trip. It is a small thing, I know, but that is the point of this week's Thankful on Thursday.

I am thankful for the person who cleans the bathroom wherever we go. That is, assuming that the bathroom is actually clean. Eww...you know what I mean. For those who do, you have to admire them. How many people would want to wash a public bathroom?

I am thankful for the person who makes socks. Even in the summertime, I like socks. They can make my feet feel cozy.

So many things that are done for us each day are done by people we do not know or may never meet, yet they are no less important. When was the last time that you thanked someone for doing their job? Do it, and I believe that you will surprise some people and give a smile to others.

For what everyday people are you thankful?