Hidden Treasures

Here in east Tennessee “real” snow isn’t something that we have seen a lot of lately. Today was an exception to that rule. Most people around had several inches of snow, probably more than my children have ever seen. It was that good kind of snow too. It was the wet kind that you can pack and play in.

This morning I did what many of you do on snow mornings. I got up, put on some warm clothes and went outside to play with my family. We did some sledding, made a great snowman, and even threw a couple of snow balls (if you can believe that). The kids had a blast, and the parents had a pretty good time too.

Unfortunately it wasn’t too long before the sun started coming out melting the snow off of the roads. This meant that I had to put on my big boy pants and go to work. Bummer right? As I was driving to work I began to pray and thank the Lord for the morning that I had just experienced. It wasn’t anything grand and luxurious, but it was fun. It was a few precious moments that my family got to play and laugh together.

This got me thinking. I am of the opinion that most of the blessings that God gives us are buried right out in the open. What I mean by this is that we often overlook the blessings of God because they are little things right in front of us. This morning God allowed us to smile instead of frown, laugh instead of cry, and play instead of mourn. God was handing out blessings and I am thankful for them.

Many times as time passes and life happens we get focused on the things that we don’t have instead of those we do. We see the bills that still have not been paid, the stress we are having on the job, and the problems going on with someone in the family. I’m not trying to diminish any of these issues, but I am saying that these things often cause us to overlook other things in life.

The next time you take inventory of your life don’t overlook the small things that God has blessed you with. Don’t be so focused on the big things that you overlook the small things.  Those laughs, smiles and snowball fights will be more important down the road than the big things you keep worrying over anyway, so why not enjoy them?

Oh, I know that it is easy to overlook these things. I am one of the world’s worst, but for today I will say “Thank you Lord for your small blessings.” 

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