Skip to main content

New Article: Seeing What You Have

 

               Richard Griffin, who for many years served as the Queen’s Personal Protection Officer, told this story about her.

               The Queen spent the summers in Scotland at Balmoral Castle where she enjoyed hiking in the nearby hills.   One day, she and Richard met a couple from America.  They exchanged greetings and the tourists began to talk about their trip and how much they were enjoying Scotland.  Eventually, one of them asked the Queen, “Where do you live?”  She replied, “In London.  However, I have a holiday home just over the hills”.  One of the tourists then said, “Well, if you come up here in the summer, you must have met the Queen”.  Elizabeth replied, “No I haven’t, but Richard meets her regularly”.

               Upon hearing that, the visitors asked him what she was like.  He responded, “Well, she can be very cantankerous at times, but she has a lovely sense of humour”.  The tourists were so excited to meet someone who knew the Queen that they asked if they could take his picture.  Then, Richard took the camera, and they got a shot with Elizabeth as well.  After they left, the Queen said, “I would love to be a fly on the wall when he shows those photos to his friends, and someone tells him who I am”.

                 I am not unlike those tourists.  I often do not see what is right in front of me.  The challenge, always, is to recognize what you have.  For example, in Romans 15:13 Paul prays “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit”.  Things would look different to me if I saw them through the lens of hope, joy, peace, trust, and the Spirit’s power.

               Philippians 2:1, states that “Christ encourages you, and his love comforts you. God's Spirit unites you, and you are concerned for others”.  We often look for encouragement, comfort, fellowship, care, peace, and joy in the wrong places when all those things and more are given to us by our heavenly father.

               It is easy to overlook what is right in front of us.  It is easy to see what we lack rather than what we have.

               May we have eyes to see the abundant blessings of God.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Darkness to Light (Colossians 1:9-14)

 Our transition from lost to found is a gift of God. It is because of God’s grace and Jesus’ sacrifice.  However, our growth in that new life is at least partially our responsibility. So, what needs evaluation?  Where should this growth begin? What does it look like to walk in the light? Colossians 1 highlights three starting spots.  https://youtu.be/1nWWWj4awh8  
Post a Comment
Read more

New Article: Thanksgiving in Real Time

                    Thanksgiving weekend means that many of us will spend time together with family and friends, eat a lot of food and think about what we are thankful for in our lives.   Unfortunately, after that, most will go back to their normal routines and leave thankfulness behind.                   What would happen if thanksgiving were part of our everyday life, rather than something we focused on a few times per year?   Where would we even start?                 According to Philippians 1:18-26, the apostle Paul remained joyful and thankful, even while imprisoned for his faith, by holding on to three important practic...
Post a Comment
Read more

Don’t Be a Tourist

                  From the moment that God told Abraham to leave his home and follow him (Genesis 12:1-3), God’s people have understood that they are on a journey.                 That being true, the essential question becomes, “How are you making that journey?”   T here are two options: You can be a tourist or you can be a pilgrim.                   Tourists leave their real life behind for a little while so that they can visit another place.   Generally, they travel in groups and do not mix much with the local people.   They hit the highlights of various regions, but they do not really experience what it is like to live in that part of t...
Post a Comment
Read more