“Life holds so many simple blessings, each day bringing its own individual wonder”–John McLeod
Grab a scrap of paper and list a few simple blessings you’ve enjoyed lately—maybe even today. I’ll wait for you!
…OK. Did anyone choose clouds?
Yes, clouds.
I love clouds. I love how varied they are. From feathery wisps to dollops of froth. From great swaths of flat sheets to billowing thunderheads that soar miles into the atmosphere.
Wait a minute. Clouds can’t really be considered a simple blessing. True, the glorious views are available to all, free of charge. And on most days, some sort of cloud is visible.
But the process by which clouds are formed is not so simple.
Perhaps your second grade teacher performed the same experiment for your class that Mrs. Sturgess demonstrated for mine. (Don’t ask me how long ago!) She put a pie plate of water on the window sill/shelf on Friday. On Monday we measured the level of water, and marveled that some of the water had disappeared! Where had it gone?
Mrs. Sturgess explained evaporation to us. Little water droplets, too tiny to see, were floating in the air. They gathered up in the sky to form clouds. Incredible!
Her answers generated more questions. If it’s just water that forms the clouds, how can there be so many different forms? And how do all those little droplets get together in groups anyway?
Clouds are not a simple blessing.
Now look at your list. Are there any truly simple blessings? I doubt it. God’s creative, powerful genius is behind each one. And it’s probable that multiple steps are involved to provide each blessing.
Then consider this: we experience hundreds, perhaps thousands of these miracles—every day. “He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted” (Job 9:10).
In the final analysis, “simple blessing” has to be the most contradictory oxymoron in existence.
But John McLeod did get one thing right: the wonder part.
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for your abounding love that prompts you to lavish blessings upon us every day. Each one is a miracle, a precious treasure to savor. My mind staggers under the immensity of your magnificence. My heart overflows with inexpressible joy when I consider your abundant goodness.
May your praise always be upon my lips (Psalm 34:1).
From the Inside Out 