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"Appreciation alters how you perceive and interpret what happens to you." Noelle C Nelson; Jeannine Lemare Calaba, The Power of Appreciation: The Key to a Vibrant Life 

 A blind boy sat on the steps of a building with a hat by his feet. He held up a sign which said :  ' I am blind, please help.'  There were only a few coins in the hat. A man was walking by. He took a few coins from his pocket and dropped them into the hat. He then took the sign, turned it around, and wrote some words. He put the sign back so that everyone who walked by would see the new words. Soon the hat began to fill up. A lot more people were giving money to the blind boy. That afternoon the man who had changed the sign came to see how things were. The boy recognized his footsteps and asked, "Were you the one who changed my sign this morning? What did you write? "The man said, " I only wrote the truth. I said what you said but in a different way." I wrote : ' Today is a beautiful day but I cannot see it.' Both signs told people that the boy was blind. But the first sign simply said the boy was blind. The second sign told people that they were so lucky that they were not blind. Should we be surprised that the second sign was more effective?Be thankful for what you have ~by jyotsna~

 How many miracles would it take for you to appreciate God's work in your life? For the disciples in Mark 6:52  (For they had not understood about the loaves, because their heart was hardened),  it took four miracles. The four  miracles are contained in this brief account (v. 41-51). 

 (1) Jesus multiplied the five loaves and two fish (v 41)- Mark stipulates that they didn't consider this to be a miracle. In today's language we would say they were still "loading...," so Christ performed another   (2) In the darkness, Jesus saw the disciples out in the storm miles away(v.48)- it still didn't hit them that this was a miracle so he performed another one (3) Jesus walked on water heading straight to them (v.49)- "loading..." finally (4) Jesus showed complete control over His creation when the wind ceased (v.51). Then it hit them that He was truly at work in their lives. And for the first time after a long series of miracles, Mark records that they were greatly amazed in themselves beyond measure, and marveled. But why did they take that long? Mark says that they were unable to understand because their hearts were hardened. 

 How long will it take for you to recognize and appreciate all the miraculous things He's doing in your life? Or are you still "loading?" How I pray that we will not harden our hearts like they did. I pray that we will be able to recognize and thank Him in real time. 

Comments

  1. Randylin414April 23, 2019 at 7:45 AM

    Our perception informs how deep we dive in the wells of gratitude. Again, what informs our perceptions? Is it culture, education, beliefs or the Word of God?

    ReplyDelete

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