I need to be honest about something. It's embarrassing. I don’t feel the need to boast about it or even mention it but I can’t ignore it. I’m a blessed man. Most people can point to times when they worked hard for something. They can trace the steps when they were rewarded for being talented or good at something. I don’t have those stories. I am not blessed because I’m rich. I am not blessed because I’m famous. I am not blessed because of my good looks. In the words of one of my favorite pastors, I have a radio face. I have lived a life where I am blessed and I can not explain it except by saying that God is good. I can’t question it. I’m living it. So here are three examples of my blessed life.
God is not a Genie, but sometimes…
It’s a little hard to explain. You see my name is Gennie but I'm not a Genie. You can ask me for something but I can't grant any wishes. I’ve been asked a lot. A lot lot…So I have never treated God like a genie. I don’t expect every prayer to hit. In fact, in my experience, very few prayers are actually answered in the way I ask them. Most of my prayers end of being asking God for the faith to get through the journey not the means to get what I need. However, this one time I heard a preacher talk about being intentional with your prayers. He said it would be a good idea to pray to God and write down the things you want in your life. So I did it. I wrote three things down when I went home. A car, A desk for my computer, and one other thing I don't remember. Within a week. I had all three. My granddad decided to randomly give me an old car he bought. My best friend had a friend that was moving and needed to get rid of a desk. He even brought it to me. I never told him I needed it. He just gave it to me. The third thing just happened too. Which was a small amount of money. Looking back on that moment I wish I would have written down three very different things but you can't depend on your past. It was what it was. I wrote it down and it happened exactly as I wrote.
The blessing of good people
I had a problem. Like most things in life, I had to do something and I had no idea how I was going to do it. It was a simple problem but It would cost time and lots of money to do it. I had neither. I remember worrying about it for a whole week until the weekend of needing to get it done. That Friday I told my best friend about my problem and he told me one idea. It was the simplest idea I had ever heard. He directed me to talk to a certain person. I talked to them and not only got the problem done but it cost me no money. NO MONEY. The blessing I'm talking about is the blessing of knowing the right people. The right people will give you great ideas that help your life not complicate it. That is one of the best blessings I can think of.
What I need is usually right in front of me
I was spinning my wheels. Living with my dad. Working a job that paid no money. My dad loved me and I enjoyed staying with him but I wasn’t living a fulfilled life. He knew it and I knew it but I couldn’t figure out how to move forward with finding a good job. I applied to lots of places and asked friends. I had a dream that my dad and I were driving in a vehicle and went off a curb. We fell out of the car. We both started to fall endlessly toward the bottom without ever hitting it. I woke up scared but sure about the meaning. I needed to do something different. I just didn't know what. One day when I come home from my dead-end job it pops into my head something my sister said months ago. She mentioned a company that was hiring in her city of Huntsville. I lived in Birmingham at the time and had no desire to move to a different city. No real reason. I had never looked in a different city for work. I grew up in Birmingham and knew everything there. It was more than a home, it was like a parent. That day I applied for another job for the thousandth time. But this time something different happened. They emailed me back asking for an interview. I went to a worksite and within three days I was offered a position in Huntsville. But this isn't the only thing. God had been putting on my heart that I needed to pass on my faith to my nephews and niece. God didn’t tell me how to do anything he just told me what he wanted me to do. I wasn't sure how it would work but when I tried to do that everything worked. Since being at the job I have gotten 4 pay raises in one year. I've given presentations in front of executives from Japan. I see my nephews and niece every other weekend and watch them grow into beautiful people. Crazy beautiful people. I started writing more, which is something I've always wanted to do but never tried.
I can’t explain anything that's happened to me. I didn’t earn any of it. I didn’t study hard in some schools to achieve any level of success. However, I can’t deny that I am blessed. If I look for an answer it is usually right in front of me or sitting in a book I just happen to be reading that next month. I prayed to God for help with my health. The next month my mom made me go to a doctor and three months later I lost 45 pounds. I forgot until this very moment that I even prayed for it. But now it's obvious to me that God is good and He listens. He loves to answer prayers. It gives him Joy. He can’t wait to give his children something good. He loves to love us. God does seem distant sometimes but I have found that even in the distance I can see his goodness. Even in the quiet times, I can hear his whisper. Even in the dark times, I can still see the light of the sun peaking over the horizon getting ready for a new day of new possibilities. I don’t have everything I’ve ever wanted but I have experienced a cup that runs over, needs that are met, and tables prepared for me in front of my enemies that I didn’t know I needed. (Psalms 23) A blessed life is not about how many things you have, it's about the heart that God preserves. My heart is rich with good experiences with God, family, friends, and life. A really blessed life. Also, I'm on a diet and I just want gummy bears. Now I can see I'll live a blessed life with or without them.
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