A Blessings Party - Faye Landrum

“Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.” James 4: 8 (NLT)

Times are tough. My Michigan son has been laid off from his advertising job three times in three years, and now my Ohio son has been let go from his job as a pilot. After flying around the world with the same company for seventeen years, he is now flying low in a dark cloud. Yes, times are tough.

My Ohio daughter-in-law has had surgery, followed by three days in the hospital. Naturally, she isn’t feeling too frisky, so I told her I would cook dinner and share it with them at their house. When I went to my basement looking for a large bowl to hold a fruit salad, I saw an unopened bottle of sparkling grape juice that someone had given to me years ago. It’s a party thing, and seeing it hatched an idea.

Let’s have a Blessings Party, I thought. No matter how bad life gets, there’s always a blessing to be thankful for.

My family went along with the blessings idea when I delivered their dinner. After we took our seats around the table, my daughter-in-law said, “Our greatest blessing is knowing we have our Lord with us.”

We all agreed with that.

During our meal, we each chimed in with a blessing we celebrate. “I am thankful we still have our home to live in,” my son said. “If I don’t find a job, we may not have it next year—but we have it now.”

“I can see, and I can hear, and I can move around,” I said. “Good health is such a blessing, and so often we just take it for granted.”

My eight-year-old granddaughter joined the blessing challenge. “I am thankful I have my playhouse, and my TV, and my puppy.” Then she added, “I am thankful for a loving mom and dad—and for the towel of love.” (Following each bath, her mom wraps her in a towel and tells her how much she loves her.)

After we had dinner, we went to our Lord in prayer, each of us thanking Him for our blessings and asking for help with our impending situations. Somehow our “tough time” didn’t seem quite as tough afterwards.

“Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.” Isn’t that one of our greatest “blessings?”

When you feel discouraged, when hardships strike you to the core, draw closer to Him. God holds us close in His heart.

Faye Landrum is a retired RN and has been a freelance writer since 1996. Her work has been published in more than 300 Christian and secular publications for children and adults. She is also the author of six books. Her latest books include the following: Maggots, Miracles and Me relates how God’s little creatures saved a woman’s life; Moments of Comfort is sixty devotionals to help those who have lost a loved one; The Final Mile is a book to help caregivers. Faye may be contacted at www.fayeland.org.Read Faye's devotions.

Publisher: Barbour Publishing, Inc.
ISBN-10: 1602600023
ISBN-13: 978-1602600027
$5.97