In the past few days I have been reminded, again and then again, of the fortune I already possess. No, I did not win the lotto. This is not a realization of how much I have (or do not). Rather, I am blessed with individuals in my life that trust and value our relationship. It is an extraordinary gift! It transcends the ravages of time. It overlooks the childish acts that haunt every life. It smothers the unending choices I continue to make that say “I” am more important than others.
In the age we live in, filled with extreme pain, anguish, and uncertainty, it is worth reflecting on what is already ours. There are people in your life and mine that care. We may know them well or they could be strangers; the fact that they care is beyond any dispute we might make. There are people in your life and mine that appreciate what we have to offer. For some, it is merely that we live. For others, we have been messengers of hope and wonder, if only for a time. In some cases, we have touched her/his life in a moment long forgotten but remembered.
Others before me have realized the gifts handed to them without condition. One writer remarked, “When the non-Jewish outsiders heard this, they could hardly believe their good fortune. All who were marked out for real life put their trust in God—they honored God's Word by receiving that life.” (Acts 13.48)
There is so much in your life and mine. Today is an opportunity, regardless and in the fullness of whatever is going on in our life, just how fortunate we are.
We possess freedom. It lives within us and cannot be taken away.
We possess the ability to act. What we do it our choice, our embrace of freedom.
We possess the creativity to bring happiness, wonder, and relationship as a gift to others as well as ourselves.
We possess all this, yet it means little if we do not recognize treasure the gifts others so willingly share.
