Slumber Parties!

God's amazing blessing is in a girls-only slumber party. Complete with buffalo chicken dip, brownies, peanut butter and chocolate cookies and amazing gift bags (thanks Erin!). This was the best blessing God could have given me today. I love having women in my life who are God-centered and so beautiful both inside and out.

My Awesome God

Simply looking at the world around me I can't help but see the amazing blessing of God's greatness! Just when I feel God isn't in every facet of my life I turn on the good ole radio and the perfect song begins to play. Today, I thank God for the wonderful blessing of FM radio. This song reminds of how awesome and amazing my God is. How He is in every aspect of this world's creation and beauty. So I thank God today for the amazing blessings that to me seem common in this world. A rainbow, thunderstorm, and FM radio, all things I would never thank God for bringing to my life.

What "common" thing in life has God used recently to remind you of his awesomeness?

::knock, knock:: it's your humanity calling...

This blog is a living testament to my broken humanity. Simply stated, my flakiness. I chose to use this blog as a tool to open my eyes and heart to God's little blessings in life. While God commits daily to bless my life, I chose to make a commitment to write about it. However, I found other things to consume my time and thus ignored this commitment - hence my flakiness. Was I too lazy to type a simple entry? Or was I simply choosing to yet again ignore God's blessings? I think it was a little bit of both. I can blame it on my travels to California, or my accumulating stress, but then I'd be doing the typical human thing of denying responsibility for my failure.

I think it is important for me to see this as one of God's bitter-sweet blessings. I don't believe a blessing is always good in the human-definition. Good for me means anything that positively benefits me. Something that doesn't hurt or challenge me. A Blessing is a free handout, where I don't have to do anything in return. However, I don't think God sees a blessing in the same light. Having failed to keep my commitment to this blog God blessed me with a reminder of my imperfections. It doesn't feel good to know I failed and flaked out on something. It is a sucky reality I want to ignore. But it truly is a blessing to be reminded that I am going to fail... and that is okay. It is okay to be imperfect and make mistakes because God's love for me is infinite and unfailing.

So, in my imperfection I commit, again, to write about the blessings God gives me each day. And I challenge myself to look for blessings I otherwise wouldn't acknowledge or praise God for. It's easy to thank God for the big blessings that we as humans ask for. And it's easy to ignore Him and all He does do, while waiting for those things to happen.

I thank God for reminding me I am not perfect, through this failed commitment. And I thank God for loving me enough to give me another opportunity at this blog and at life.

What painful blessings has God placed in your life lately? Has it reminded you of His infinite love for you?

Tales of a teacher interview

God has definitely blessed me monumentally today and it's only 12! I went in for an interview with Howard County to determine if I would be qualified for a technology teaching position (They call them a curriculum interview). The man I interviewed with was really the first delightful person I met within the District Hiring Process. Not surprisingly, he was impressed with my interview and all I have done as a teacher in the past two years. He set-up an on-the-spot interview with a principal. I was very excited, nervous, apprehensive, but none-the-less I was thankful to God for His perfect timing. The interview didn't go as well as I had hoped, but I felt so blessed for so many reasons.

First, I realized that Howard County is actually serious about hiring me, and the man I do speak with about possible jobs is truly rooting for my success.

Second, I want to work with under-privileged kids. Before I saw this as a burden and now I see this as a great calling I don't want to sacrifice, even in Howard County.

Third, there is always more opportunities and blessings when you look outside of the box and comfort zone I so religiously stick too.

Finally, I am a teacher and always will be. This is the purpose God created me for.

In the end, I may not have gotten the job but I definitely received a confirmation I was waiting on God for. Have you ever had an interview that taught you more about yourself because you didn't get the job?

Babysitting

I know this sounds completely absurd, but I never realized how much of a blessing it was to have the ability to babysit baby Layna. One of my dearest friend's little girl, the time I spent with her today really made me feel God's presence. Minus some dirty diaper action and some fussiness, the ability to hear her laugh was a true blessing. Sometimes I forget how easy it is to see God's simplicity in a child. Layna's concerns are nothing compared to my adult ones. She simply lives life one moment at a time, not concerned about tomorrow. Spending time with her allows me the freedom to stop worrying about the future and just live peacefully in the present! Not to mention I get to eat kid food, like grilled cheese sandwiches and fruit roll-ups. I never gave God the proper thanks for giving me moments to just stop focusing on my adult problems and be part of a child's world for a while. I truly appreciated God for the time I got to spend with Layna today and her world of snacks, naps and mickey mouse; simple joys.

I find that this challenge is forcing me to look for blessings. To truly look at things in my life in a different light. Not merely as a babysitting gig, but reflecting on how such an opportunity is a blessing. Sometimes it is easy for me to get consumed in what I don't like about things. Today it was refreshing to look at my time spent with little Layna as a gift from God. I have to say the way a child loves you is truly the most perfect and truest form of love in this world. It's innocent and unconditional.

So I thank God for my babysitting adventure today! I had time for some snacking, napping and carefree distractions away from the stress in my life.

Have you ever felt the blessing that is babysitting? Or am I completely crazy? What blessings did God give you today?

The Thirty Day Spiritual Challenge

The past couple of months have been somewhat of a bust. I've spent more time sulking and resenting God because of what He isn't doing. I have wasted so much time and energy being angry at God for the struggles in my life. Quite frankly I am tired of being a Debbie Downer. I decided to transition into a more positive relationship with God by identifying and giving Thanks for the blessings, big and small, I see Him doing in my life and those around me. It is so easy to be angry when the blessings I ask to be granted don't come to fruition. However, what about all those blessings I don't ask God for but He gives to me anyway? Those are worthy of thanksgiving too. So, for the next thirty days I am challenging myself to recognize those off-the-cuff blessings I don't expect, and give thanks to God for each one of them. I know that by challenging myself to look for God instead of waiting for Him to walk into my requests I will get out of this spiritual rut in no time! I want to invite you along for the ride, and ask for your prayers along the way. Honestly, how often do we look for the blessings God gives us rather than wait for him to grant us the ones we ask for?