Acts 14:17 Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”

This morning’s commute to work was the usual rush and traffic mess. Weaving in and out of trucks is not something that I enjoy, and being pressurized from the driver behind to speed up is something that I loathe. The sky was its usual blank grey, so everything looked mediocre. Just another day, another dollar, another drive to work.

But for some reason my heart was elated. I felt good about being alive, so I smiled a prayer to God in the midst of all the hustle and bustle.

Sometimes we take our lives for granted and forget the day-to-day blessings that God benevolently gives to us. Paul and Barnabas proclaimed to the Greeks that God had been with them throughout their history. His kindness brought them rain from heaven and crops in their seasons. Every generation had been sustained by God’s grace, even although they did not know Him.

So I’m thankful for life today. I have work to go to. I have family and friends who love me. I even have a car to get stuck in the middle of traffic on a grey morning. That’s why I’m elated and really feel blessed. I guess the old hymn is true:

Count your blessings; name them one by one;

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Prayer: Lord God, there is no life without Your grace. There is no blessing without Your goodness. Thank You for what we have. Thank You for what we experience. Thank You for life, which is a precious, holy, and sacred gift. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart traqair@aol.com
Knoxville, Tennessee, USA