Blessed

Friends.

Spring is HERE… I can feel it! I just know that my family in Ohio is hating me as they read this, but it is simply a perfect day here in Dallas, Texas. My fingers are slightly frozen while I’m typing because it is chilly, but it’s awesome! We opened all the windows in the house yesterday and the smell of spring is nestling down into our blankets and couches and in every room, nook and cranny. The sun is shining. The breeze is soft. I just had a toasted ham and cheddar croissant for lunch.

Beautiful weather + winter leaving + yummy food = a wonderful day for Beth. : )

Seriously, though, I think I have more of my Mom in me than I realize. The weather has always deeply affected her… and who doesn’t it? I mean, after months and months of cold and rain, it gets to you. Growing up in Ohio, you have about four months out of the year that are truly beautiful — and the rest (especially the colder months) are mostly gray skies, rain/snow, and mud. Which, yes, has its own kind of beauty (trying to be positive here, people), but after a while you are desperate for sunshine … spring quickly becomes summer, which quickly becomes fall, which in a flash is winter again. Such is Midwest life.

All of that to say, today is a great day. And I know 80% has to do with the weather. I feel light and joyful. I want to sit with a cup of tea and smile at the sunshine warming our bare trees. I don’t know if you can relate with me in this, but sunshine, a crisp breeze, and the smell of grass, earth, and new life … I just can’t imagine anything better.

It so perfectly set the stage this morning for me to be with Jesus. Yesterday was a terribly distracted day… the second I sat still, I started writing to-do lists in my mind… and then staring at certain spots in the house that needed dusting/vacuuming/picking up. Yep. : ) Have you had those? … they’re very frustrating, huh. But they definitely make a good morning even better. Kind of like a long, cold, dreary winter turning into a beautiful spring day.

I felt led to read Psalm 145 today… and man, it messed me up. It’s sometimes hard for me to not hum the tune to Shane’s song “Psalm 145” (which is amazing, and which you have probably already heard) as I read it … but what a rich, rich chapter. Full of promises and truth and a stunningly beautiful picture of who God is. Some verses that stuck out to me today:

“Every day I will BLESS You and praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.”  145:2-3

“The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is GOOD to all, and His mercy is over ALL that He has made.” 145:8-9

“All Your works shall give thanks to You, O LORD, and all Your saints shall BLESS You!” 145:10

(This one ruins me…) “The LORD is faithful in all His words and kind in all His works.” 145:13

“The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due season. You open Your hand; You satisfy the desire of every living thing.” 145:15-16

“The LORD is near to all who call on Him…” 145:18

“My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh BLESS His holy name forever and ever.” 145:21

Okay, I know I almost just wrote out the entire chapter… every sentence is breathtaking… but I was especially struck today by the snapshot of this worship time that David had before the Lord. What HUGE things are being shared about Him! That He is gracious and merciful… that He’s good and merciful to all… that He’s near to us who call on Him in truth… what amazing, amazing things to cling to. Strong promises.

But, what blows me away is David’s heart to bless GOD back… I mean, verses one and two are verbatim to that: “I will extol You… and bless Your name… Every day I will bless You…”

Is it just me, or is it a pretty lopsided exchange? Like all things between us and the Living God, I know … but really. When the word “blessing” ever shows up on my radar, I quickly think about one of my husband’s favorite passages that he brings up a lot … it’s in Ephesians 1 …

“Blessed be the GOD and Father of our LORD Jesus Christ, Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places…” 1:3

We are blessed in Who He is, and in Jesus, He has blessed us also with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places! Geesh! Certain verses can become too familiar for me and I skim over them, but if you stop and take a few moments to read Ephesians 1 and Psalm 145… I’ve got a feeling it will hit you as hard as it me right now. We have so MUCH in Him! Actually, we have it ALL! And not only in what He gives us, but in HIM… in Who He is. In the “glorious splendor of His majesty” as David puts it.

I get David’s response to want to be a blessing back … after all, what more can you ask for? God, bless me with… uhh…

HE ALREADY HAS! And it’s deep and satisfying and glorifying to Him! So, our response is: thankfulness … praise… longing to be a blessing in the every dayness of our lives. It’s a sweet exchange, and I love it and feel spurred on in it this morning, but I gotta tell you … it’s a very lopsided exchange as well.

Jesus gets our sin — we get His righteousness.

Jesus was condemned — we get accepted and adopted into the family of God.

He loved us first  (when we were unloveable, mind you) — we get to love Him back.

The Father blesses us in every way in Christ — we get to bless Him back.

… and that’s all I got, folks. I’m just excited about that today. I want to bless Him today, because I’m blessed.