I am a Christian. I get it we are supposed to share with the world the blessings God has bestowed upon us. However, I do believe we over use the term blessed. In fact, I find myself not using that word (blessed) for anything other than the staples in life. If I say I am blessed I refer to ordinary, truly thankful things.
I want to share a few stories with you about truly being blessed, about learning the hard way and not being physically blessed but spiritually held together by God.
When Travis and I were homeless in Colorado Springs, living in our friends basement while looking for and applying for jobs we were so blessed then. Yep we were homeless, yep all our stuff was in their garage, yep we had no idea what to do next. I honestly do not know where we would have gone if they hadn’t opened their home to us. But that time with our friends, time to fall to our knees and truly depend on God was a blessing. This was one of the most exhausting times in our marriage. We were both working part time, Travis applying to jobs all over the country and me trying to hold all the anxiety and worry in. My friend Liz, would commonly invite me out for walks just to clear my head. I grew accustom to walking the dogs, alone and prayed a lot. No one would ever ask God, to be homeless. No one would ever invite the idea of joblessness and constant job seeking into their lives. He did provide, because He is faithful. But without someone to give us a home, we wouldn’t have made it. Verbal words of, “It will get better” became like Salt in a Wound. Take my advice and remove these words from your vocabulary unless you plan to DO something to physically bless someone when they have NOTHING. Overall, this experience has given me perspective on life that I cannot put into words. And since then every time we have fallen on hard times, God is amazing with blessing us with people on our path to lead us to Him. To rest in His Word.
From Brandy: My husband and I have been trying for a year now to have a baby. We were 23 and 26 when we said and I do and had a huge desire to start a family. God convicted us that children are a blessing from The Lord as scripture says and that we should trust Him for the timing and the number. It’s a scary thought to have a honeymoon baby or end up with 15 kids but we trusted. We never really thought of being on this side of the spectrum. It’s been the most struggling season of my life to wait on Him when I just desire to have my womb filled with His blessings… But He’s poured out so so many blessings in this process … The blessing of being used by Him, the blessing of praying and being burdened for others, the blessing of praying to God with an unveiled broken heart just as David did, the blessing of peace and faith and hope when I feel like I can’t find any. I know most of these things people wouldn’t count as blessings but I can’t help but too considering what He’s doing in my heart. Read more about Brandy’s Journey, HERE
My husband has a job #blessed
I have clean water #blessed
I have a roof over my head #blessed
I was sick and you brought me soup #blessed
This is what being blessed looks like. And to bless others means to give of yourself, not to just throw money at a situation or person. Show some hospitality and truly give of yourself, your time and care for them. Blessing others is nothing more than showing hospitality. And by hospitality I don’t mean a 4 course meal with your finest china. I mean your home is a wreck, you haven’t gone to the store yet but your friend comes over, she has had a bad (with a capital B) bad day. Instead of telling her your home is a wreck and you have errands to run you open the door to your home and your heart.
Hospitality is meeting a stranger or making a friend and realizing you care about this person’s well-being, you give up your extra time to help them, buy unexpected gifts for them or simply drop them a text to say, I care about you. Hospitality is not being June Clever, hospitality is not worrying about you and worrying about how you and your life appear to others. Hospitality is learning to truly love and forsake yourself. Blessing others is seeing them as people, people who are down on their luck, hurt by the economy, struggling to make it. Blessing is taking the time to care for these people. Blessing is giving your last 2 cents and giving more than the millionaires. (Mark 12:41-44)
Because you chose to give with your heart.
Don’t be a holiday Christian. Give to and Bless those around you beyond your friends all year-long. What does that look like? It is different for everyone.
The next time you think you are blessed with you favorite shoes on sale at the store in the mall, consider what a child in Africa, India or even in Urban Houston would be blessed with? Or the suffering Veteran, who gave his life up here to fight a war that wasn’t his own, he gave up security, personal safety and time with his family, what would he be blessed with?
Stylishly Shelby 
Shelbyville. This is a beautiful post. Such a great reminder, thanks so much for sharing!!! ❤
Um, wow, not sure where “Shelbyville” came from…I meant Shelby… 🙂 sorry about that!
HA! There are quiet a few Shelbyville’s across the country although I have never visited any of them. My nickname in college was Shell-Belle. I’m glad you liked the post. I have wanted to write a Spirit filled post for a while.
Haha! That’s funny! So cute!!! ♡ it’s beautiful and so encouraging! I love seeing other’s hearts through their blogs! 🙂
I think being grateful for what you have even if things aren’t going to plan is one of the best things you can do in this life! It affects the things that happen in the future generally for the better!
What a beautiful reminder! Thank you!
“Don’t be a holiday Christian. Give to and Bless those around you beyond your friends all year-long.” What a great reminder. I am so glad that you see your blessings, even through those difficult times!
I really needed to read this tonight. Thank you for the inspiration this evening!
AMEN, SISTER! I feel I am preaching this message so often. We are truly blessed because if we have nothing else, we are blessed through Jesus Christ who gave us EVERLASTING life! 🙂
While I’m not religious, I loved this post! Giving year-round and not just around the holidays is SO important. I don’t ever want to be that person that just gives in the holiday season because need truly does not know any season.
I am glad you enjoyed it. My hope is my life is a reflection of love and acceptance, much like Saint Francis’ quote ‘preach the gospel often and if necessary use words’
Beautiful post. Beautiful reminder! Thank you so much for sharing.
It so easy to look at blessings as only the big things. Really there are so many blessings that we have and take for granted as the normal.
What a great post! You know I am learning so much about what having love and showing love is, and I’ve heard it so many times about do unto others as you would do unto yourself, but the other week my pastor said it in a way that made me see those words differently. He said how do we do unto ourselves? We think well, we do good or the best unto ourselves – so share and do that for others. But the way God was really saying it was in a negative way towards ourselves – we are selfish, we care about ourselves first in most everything, we would never give ourselves less, always the utmost best. We plan for the best for ourselves, we pray for the best for ourselves – He wanted us to change “ourself, me, myself, I” to “others, them, they, he/her” He wanted us to do all of those selfish things we wanted to do for us, for them. I love your post and it just confirms what I am working on and learning!
My grandma always talks about God providing. My grandad was self employed and so him and Grandma had what they needed to get by and sometimes for treats etc but they weren’t flush so to speak. My grandma was a stay at home mum and then a housewife when her children grew up and had families of their own. She was emergency contact for my brother and I after my Mum as she had a car and it was easier for her to get to us than for my dad to try.
Around the age of 16 when I got my first job my grandma chatted to me about tithing. I don’t think i paid that much attention then. It was my hard earned cash why should I give some back to God. Well I knew why in my head but not always in my heart.
When I got my full time job we had a standing order set up to automatically send our tithe to the church. I guess it makes it easier but sometimes I forget (is that a bad thing?). Anyway so Grandad was self employed and some months it would be tight, you know the boiler would break or someone would need new shoes, something would pop up out of the blue but Grandma would trust that God would provide. On a couple of occasions it would be something simple like one of Grandad’s customers would paid early or would put in an extra tip for a good job done. Something would come and it would cover the missing amount.
I got it and I believed it but more than often that doubt would creep in and I would question whether God would provide or not.
This time last year I found out I was pregnant. I was on a temp contract at work and Chris was volunteering at his job rather than being paid. We needed him to at least match my pay cheque by the time baby arrived. Well if God was going to bless us with a baby we were sure that something was in the pipeline. As it happened it was and by Christmas, Chris was going to receive a pay cheque for the job he does. Oh yeah! I’ve had a couple of clients come forward for my little business venture that I do around looking after Jaxon and so it’s good.
There is another situation that’s arising and I’m trusting that if God wants us to step into the situation then he’ll supply the physical things we need to deal with it as well as the emotional/mental strength to do it.
It really is amazing how people step up when we need them the most!