I love the beauty of the babbling brook in this valley, but there is more to the story . . .
I wish that I could have visited it 40 years prior when it was part of a well-maintained Park.
I should have spent more time exploring the hillsides.
I am disappointed that the snow did not cover up the bland background colors.
I am blessed by experiencing this place, but still unsatisfied. I do not think that I am alone in this feeling—and it does not just relate to places that we visit. Being unsatisfied also connects with our friendships, our marriage, our family, our church, our work, our home. We are always measuring up how something could have been better or how it missed its potential. How often do we face a blessing and say I wish, I could have, I should have, I am disappointed?
Blessed yet unsatisfied is a recipe for derailing our mission. There is certainly a place for pressing beyond mediocrity in life, but not at the expense of overlooking our blessings. In fact, when we overlook our blessings, we ignore opportunities God calls us to bless others. We have been blessed “so that you will be a blessing” and so that “in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:1-3) If we are always finding fault with our blessings, how can we live out our missional call to be a blessing to others?
Blessed to be a blessing. If you are struck by our need to soak in blessings all the more in order to live out our missional call, I would invite you to dig a little deeper. I recently took in a really fantastic sermon about being sent based on Genesis 12:1-3 by Pastor Matt Olson of the Berlin SDB Church. The sermon begins at 35:45 during the service: Sermon: Blessed to be a Blessing
May we all more intentionally savor our blessings, leaving behind I wish, I could have, I should have—for being missionally sent and satisfied by God’s good blessings. “You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell; they sing among the branches. From your lofty abode you water the mountains; the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.” (Psalm 104:10-13, ESV)
Photo courtesy of Sam C. Greene
