Lights out!

Here I sit in the dark. My only light that which is illuminating from my computer screen. And, somehow without concern, worry, or fear, I knew I would be fed. I knew that I would stay dry. And, I knew that I would be warm. Amazingly, there are so many that don't have electricity in the first place, and I don't have half their concerns when I am suddenly without it.

It makes me wonder if we have any clue just how blessed we are in America. Don't get me wrong, I realize there is extreme poverty even among us, but it is a rarity compared to the vast populations of Africa, India, and all over the world that experience far greater poverty on any given day.

It took a black out to make me think about others today. A black out that mind you has now only lasted exactly 30 minutes because for the last 3 minutes I have been typing in a well-lit kitchen because the wonderful electricians of the City of Batavia have resolved the issue that darkened my morning. It took this temporary loss of a blessing I have every day to remind me of those who don't even have this blessing one day a year.

Now, we can certainly start to feel guilty for being blessed when we see others' needs, but I don't think that's the godly response to blessings. I don't feel guilty for the blessings I have, nor do I feel guilty for what others do not have. I know that my blessings are ones that my heavenly father would not want me to begrudge. No, what is convicting me is my lack of thought, compassion and gratitude.

I was struck with this same realization when a friend of mine, Barry told me that his eyes were taking a bit longer to heal from laser eye surgery than anticipated and so he was having a hard time seeing anything. I realized very quickly how much I take my nearly perfect eyes (i.e. no glasses or contacts) for granted. And, how often do we do this with so many things. We start to feel entitled to those things that are truly gracious blessings bestowed on us. We start to think that to HAVE or GET or KEEP is a basic human right, when fundamentally all good things come from above and it is by grace alone we have, get, or keep anything.

I have been asking myself a lot this Christmas season about how to truly understand the hope, peace, joy and the Way of Christmas. So, now I challenge you with the same question, what can be done this advent season to change how we perceive our blessings and how we share them with others?