“Meanwhile, the older son was in the fields working. When he returned home, he heard music and dancing in the house, and he asked one of the servants what was going on. Your brother is back,’ he was told, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf. We are celebrating because of his safe return.’ “The older brother was angry and wouldn’t go in. His father came out and begged him, but he replied, ‘All these years I’ve slaved for you and never once refused to do a single thing you told me to. And in all that time you never gave me even one young goat for a feast with my friends. Yet when this son of yours comes back after squandering your money on prostitutes, you celebrate by killing the fattened calf!’ His father said to him, ‘Look, dear son, you have always stayed by me, and everything I have is yours.’” (Luke 15:25”31 NLT)
This morning when I rose, I was not in the best of attitudes. “I’m just being honest about it. Age has robbed me of the ability to jump out of my bed like a gymnastic champion, raising my hands as if I received a perfect ten from the judges sitting on the sideline. I made it down the hall, stumbling half awake. It take a little bit longer to get my juices flowing, as they say. In the bathroom I looked in the mirror and my eyes are noticing the wrinkles that were hidden until late last week; one a day that I decided to shave my pandemic beard. I tried to stretch the puffy bags from under my eyes. I looked at how the hair that was supposed to come out of the top of my head was coming out everywhere I did not need it to come out; the recesses of my ears, the few places on my scalp where it seemed like all new hair growth strands were apparently summoned to a meeting and informed that the new policy was that they were forbidden to go where hairs had usually flourished. My hands looked weary, and it seemed like they were staring at me with eyes pleading that I don’t labor long in writing this morning.
Oh I finally prayed, finally coming to the invigorating, energizing, and the essential unquestionable, undeniable conclusion that I am truly blessed! I got a new attitude this morning! I’m blessed to see another day, and I mean it! I was blessed to be in the land of the living, one more time. I was blessed to realize that while there are things that I may not be able to do like I could when I was younger, I can still do many things. I was blessed! As the passage above from the story of the Prodigal Son made me think about the Prodigal God who is a spendthrift in mercy, and realize that He has been blessing me from above; blessing me all along the way as I stayed with Him, I was blessed! Oh I’m blessed this morning! Truly blessed! As a matter of fact, I’m truly blessed! That’s going to be my theme this morning and the rest of the week! I have a new attitude and that happened because I started to bring God in the picture and focused on how He has been blessing me and how He keeps on blessing me. Let me share one more blessing that came to my mind, based on somethings that happened at church yesterday.
I did not preach yesterday. My oldest son delivered the sent message. That was a blessing. The church was not full, of course not during this pandemic, but the blessing was it was not empty. That was a blessing. And before church service began, a four-year old girl who comes to church with her grandmother gave me a one-dollar bill. I asked her if she wanted me to put it in the offering basket for her and she responded by pointing at me. I said, “Do you want me to keep this? Is this for me?” She shook her head in the affirmative. That was a blessing. I will have to put that dollar bill with a container of collectible coins I have so that I will always be reminded of my little friend’s sharing hearts. She got that from somewhere. What a blessing!
Well I know today seemed like a diary input, but I really just wanted to described my new attitude and challenge you to start your week the same way, realizing that you have been truly blessed too! Have a new attitude on this new day! I will pray that your blessings continue and that you continue to see them! Have a great Monday! Be blessed!
“‘May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26 NLT)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King