An Unblessed Day??

I say it to people often. Have a blessed day. Particularly on special occasions, as if blessings are somehow meant for birthdays and anniversaries.

I got to thinking the other day about how every day is blessed—regardless of the calendar date. I wake up in a sturdy structure, protected from the weather. Walk my dog in a safe area, surrounded by good-hearted neighbors. Open my cupboard or refrigerator to a selection of nourishing options.

We lost water supply to my subdivision not long ago. That’s the second time in six months that we’ve suffered this inconvenience. Of course, “suffer” is entirely the wrong word. Clean water piped in on demand is just another one of those luxuries I’ve come to expect as a citizen of a developed and (fairly) well-run society.

Yet medical care, police protection, emergency assistance, and a never-interrupted supply of fresh food available within a few minutes’ drive are all blessings virtually unknown in some parts of the world.

And the very word “blessing” is certainly infused with meaning. Online dictionaries define it as a thing conducive to happiness or welfare. Technically correct from the effect end of things. But they leave inquiries into the origin of those good and helpful things unexplored.

People of faith understand that all blessings flow from God’s good grace. Nothing pious about that, since the rains fall on believers and nonbelievers alike, and the crops feed all who either harvest or purchase them. Any lack of shared blessings falls to man’s inadequacy, not the Creator’s.

I heard a radio commentator explain it once: There are plenty of resources to go around. It’s mankind’s greed, corruption, and lack of empathy that cause shortages of universal “happiness and welfare.” The filthy rich autocrat siphoning off aid funds while his subjects starve; the self-centered, jet-setting celebrity, quick to lecture others but slow to redistribute their own wealth; me, settling complacently into preserving what I have for fear of future unmet needs.

But my conscience whispers additional reminders . . .

-One more day passes in which my inoculation protects me against influenza.

-Each Sunday, I worship in a soundly-built church building—much more aesthetically pleasing and secure than the humble structure where my brethren in Tongo gather. (See photo.)

-I wake up, flip a switch, and electricity magically flows into my home, filling the early morning hours with light.

-My furnace pumps out warmth whenever the inside temperature drops below 68 degrees; the air conditioner reverses the process when temps rise above 78.

So, I’m doubling-down today in offering thanks for everyday blessings that I sometimes take for granted and asking for guidance in ways I can serve and share.

How was your day blessed, and what are your favorite channels for sharing?