Remembering God’s Blessings
Posted by Luke | 0 comments
April 1 is a big day.
- Google typically announces some crazy new thing; Blizzard too.
- Sonlight launches it’s latest catalog, and also sometimes updates the look and feel of the site.
- People play practical jokes on one another.
- And April 1 is the day I bought my house.
The Search
While Brittany and I were still in school we didn’t know where to look for a house. I loved Colorado, but I was about to graduate with a degree in Motion Picture Production, so staying in California made a lot of sense. And so we started praying. Not all the time, mind you, but every once in a while. And we prayed that God would get us the “right house in the right place.” I also wanted an unfinished basement where I could set up a studio, and a back door that led to the basement in case I ever got any clients.
I connected with a real estate agent and went house shopping. None of the houses he showed me were even close to what I wanted. And so I got home and moped around. I complained to my parents, “I don’t know anything about buying a house. How am I supposed to do this?”
My dad reminded me that my little brother’s best friend’s parents were moving, and had kept the house off the market until I had come by. Their house was in Englewood, near my high school. The next day I went to look, and instantly fell in love with it. The house was perfect, and even had a back door that went down to an unfinished basement; not to mention the three sheds, small pond, hot tub, or great neighborhood with a 4th of July party every year.
The Blessing
Shortly after closing on the house, Brittany and I got married out in California and I drove her and our stuff to our new home.
And it was home. It was our home. But we decided that since God had blessed us with such a wonderful house, we would keep it open to others. And since the day we moved in, there have only been a few months where someone else has not lived with us or stayed a night. We host church small groups. We have parties. We welcome in people selling Girl Scout cookies or religion. And now we are working on welcoming home three children from Kyrgyzstan.
This is not to pat myself on the back at all. I’m a terrible host–but thankfully my wife is much better. This is just a blazingly clear example of how I have been blessed so I can be a blessing to others.
Remembering
But here’s the problem: I worry.
Much like the Israelite who wandered in the desert and complained about a lack of water, lack of meat, and lack of strength, I grumble about my tight budget, my clogged plumbing, and my lack of good record keeping (which is really problematic since it’s tax season). But the solution to such discontent and worry is not to think happy thoughts or try to improve my attitude… at least, that’s never worked for me. Rather, I must remember all the blessings I have had–the times God has come through for me in the past–so I can have legitimate hope for the future. But the past is long gone and today’s problems are very close, which is one of the many reasons I find it hard to keep the past in mind. And that is why God commanded the Israelites to set up visual reminders for themselves; mostly piles of stones… which wouldn’t be very effective today.
So, instead, I’m having a party at my house today. It’s a time we can get together with friends and family and celebrate a very real blessing in our life and a reason to have hope for God’s provision in the future. I’ve wanted to host such a party for years now, but have never done it. But today, I’m stepping out in a new act of faith. A spiritual discipline, if you will. And you’d better believe that parties can be spiritual disciplines. They certainly were for the Israelites.
What about you? What blessings do you need to remember? And which ones do you need to celebrate to help you remember?
Luke Holzmann is the son of John and Sarita Holzmann, founders of Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd., in Littleton, CO, where he is the Media Relations Specialist. He attended Biola University, in La Mirada, CA, and earned the BA in Motion Picture Production. You can find his work at http://www.sonlightblog.com/, production-now.com, and lukeholzmann.blogspot.com.
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