I am blessed; I can BLESS

My son wanted to play a game on his sister’s iPod this week and to convince her to share; he said “I let you sit in my seat in the car. I have you a bite of my bologna sandwich. I carried your backpack and you mean to tell me you won’t even let me play one game?” Evidentially the future debate club member had been storing a list of his good deeds all day like an animal stores food up for the winter. Oh, I could relate to his thinking. Do you ever feel like you keep an ongoing list with tally marks recording what you do and what others around you do maybe what they do NOT do? If we are honest, we all entertain the thought at work, home, in the community, and even at church that WE carry majority of the load a little too often. Sometimes we feel honored by it, and sometimes we feel plain abused and worn slap out. When I became a new mother, suddenly responsible for more than just myself, I kept a running list in my brain going at all times in my household against my husband. It looked like this: dishes – 1 mark for me, laundry – 1 mark for me, yard – 1 for him, diaper – 2 more for me, groceries – 1 for me. At the end of the day, I would add it all up and decide that life was not fair because I was doing more, but failed to sometimes see the big picture. It was a pretty miserable way to live. Years have passed and we live by a teamwork policy here, but every now and then the “I am tired of doing everything in this house” still comes up…like yesterday morning actually and completely robs me all of my joy. It is usually begins with a mood I am in and ends with a list of consequences stating what will happen the next time I have to pick up shoes off of the floor or feed the chickens. Somewhere in the middle of the dissertation, I promise a color coded, signed in blood chore chart that will be visible for all to see by sundown. I rediscovered a better way this week to look my personal workload. Mother Teresa wrote “The work we do is only our love for Jesus in action. If we pray the work…if we do it to Jesus, if we do it with Jesus…that’s what makes us content.” I read this timely word in a book called “One Thousand Gifts” by Ann Voskamp. Ann simplifies the concept with “I am blessed. I can bless.” Wow, how great is that? I am blessed. I can bless This week when you plan the next committee meeting, organize the pantry, change the oil in the car, take out the trash, or write the comment on the bottom of the graded paper, it could be a way to bless someone because you are blessed. Keeping score is useless. A mind full of tally marks will guarantee you more stress, bitterness, wrinkles and probably cause you to need medication for acid reflux. Remember this week that God sent Jesus to serve others and through Him, he offered us the greatest blessing of all time. Live this week thinking: I am blessed. I can bless. Bless a sweet family in Fairfield too. Check out “The Righty Run” benefiting Alex Ward, an awesome 7 year old, who is in continual therapy for Infantile Spasms that will be held March 1st in Fairfield.