Three Questions

Teach us to count our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.  Psalm 90:12
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A wise man once told me that life is a series of blessings and shadows.  I’ve come to believe that neither one is meant to last forever. I’m all about the blessing stage but the shadows are not my favorite.  It’s funny how the shadows can seem like they are gonna last forever and it’s easy to wallow in the struggles and disappointment and feel like the Father has forgotten all about me.  I suppose one of the great lessons of discipleship is to live the truth that God is with us trough all of it and His plan includes the perfect shift between the two.  I realize when I’m in a season of blessing, I can forget to praise and thank Him and when I’m in a season of shadow I can surely run low on trust and hope but my impatience and self-pity can really take a jump!  I’ve spent some time this summer praying about what the Lord might really be trying to teach me, and He led me to a string of lessons that have been helpful in trying to balance the blessings and shadows.

Time moves so fast and our days are so busy that our weeks can just become a blur.  I think a big key to balance is to take time to think back on the day and really recall what happened.  Sometimes our blessings and shadows are big events but more often they are a string of little things.  It’s a really good idea to ponder the day before the next one begins, so before you tuck yourself in and end the day, these three questions can help us pause, ponder, thank, ask and feel His peace.  You can answer these three questions in your mind, or an even better thing would be to share answers with your spouse or family.  I wish I had done this with my kids before bed when they were growing up…what insight it would have given me.

First Question:  What was a blessing today.  It could be a success or achievement, a fun moment, a kind deed done or received or something lovely that brightened your day or surprised you.
Second Question:  What was a shadow today.  Maybe it was a disappointment or a discouraging event.  The shadow could be a worry or an activity that wrinkles your peace. Perhaps the shadow is a result of a bad choice made by you or someone else that has led you to feel hurt, embarrassed or angry.
Third Question:  Where did you see God today?  Some of the Father’s fanciest work comes in the quiet still moments when things just seem to “fall in place” and we might think such things are “random” or “coincidence” but in truth all things come from God, so we need to give him the thanks and the credit for touching our day.  The more we get in the habit of noticing all the ways He touches our days, the more we begin to see how mighty and busy He is in our lives.

If all we did was ask and answer those three questions each night, there would be so much joy in our blessings and our shadows.  When you answer these questions and let the Father speak to your heart, you might be prompted to apologize or thank or acknowledge things.  He can use this time to show us how to draw closer to Him and discover that all the events of our day are designed to bring us so close to Him that we can be lost in His shadow.
 
A Seed To Plant:  Pray about these three questions and think about how you can make them a big part of your day.

Blessings on your day!