Another pair of glasses

I have glasses on the top of my head 50% of my waking hours and the other 50% the  glasses rest on my nose.  I am so dependent on reading glasses that I have multiple pairs.  I have upstairs and downstairs glasses; I have a pair on my desk at work and a pair in my car.  I am addicted to them.  I try to avoid ever having to say, "I can't see that. I don't have my glasses."

I find relief when I put them on and the letters in front of me become clear.  So much is my relief that I am well past the vain feeling of not wanting anyone to see me and think me Old!

Deuteronomy 16:9-12 introduces the celebration of the Festival of Weeks.  Seven weeks from the beginning of harvest, the Israelites were to offer freewill offerings to God in proportion to the blessings God had given.  They were to rejoice with  just about everybody, from their kids to the foreigners in their midst.

The sentence that spoke to me today is the one of the last ones:  Remember you were slaves in Egypt... I jotted in my journal "The glasses."

Remembering what life was like when I was in charge and it's burdens will cause me to rejoice in the blessings of letting God be in control of my life.  This should be my perspective to view and review my life.

When I read these verses the old hymn, "Count Your Blessings" kept playing in my mind.  We are to count our blessings, not to see how much richer we are but rather to see what God has done.

These verses are a warning to me to keep my life in perspective, to keep my focus on what God has done, not me.  Too many people live their lives ignoring God and not considering His blessings.  When Life gives them a challenge, they will wail, "Why me?"  My mother taught me well when she had cancer.  She responded with "Why not me?  I'm no better than others."  It was that perspective that guided her through that season of life.

These verses also suggest to me to be regular about counting my blessings.  I'm not sure I need a Harvest Festival in my life but when Life brings me a challenge I do want to:

Remember what life was like when I was in charge;

Rejoice that God is in charge now; and

Share the blessings!

I have been known to say "That's a good problem to have!"  When it gets crazy busy at the office, it means we have a lot of business.  When the pews are full, it means we have a crowd.  When I have three invitations for the same day, I have lots of friends.  When I keep the right perspective I can rejoice in the "challenges" of life.

The verses for the day remind me to keep my "blessing glasses" on my nose so I can see Life clearly, so I will rejoice in what God has done, is doing and will do.