Source of Blessings

 

“Most of your blood work looks really good,” I told the middle aged man sitting across from me.

“You know, I try,” the man was emphatic.  “I’ve been eating a no meat diet for a long time!  I walk a mile and a half at least five days a week.  It’s not surprising that my blood work looks great.”

“Well,” I said.  “I was getting to the part where your cholesterol is up a little bit…”

“I don’t see how that can be,” he said.  “I’m doing everything you’ve told me to do.  I even take some supplements that Dr. Oz mentioned last year that could help.”

“I don’t know that it is something that you are doing or aren’t doing,” I said.  “For some people high cholesterol just runs in their family.  Genetic tendencies are really some of the hardest things to deal with.”

I'm afraid this is true.  Two people can eat basically the same diet and have vastly different blood work -- mostly because of who their parents were.  This can lead to discouragement or to a false belief that you have a significantly healthier lifestyle than your neighbors. 

I am afraid there is a real tendency for people to believe that they have earned the blessings they receive.  God is rewarding them for their wonderful service to Him.  The fact that they are healthy and have sufficient food for every meal is simply proof of their own goodness.

There are plenty as well who believe  that they have made their good fortune.  These are self-made men and women who eat healthy, exercise regularly, and follow Dave Ramsey’s financial rules to perfection.  They know that while God may have a hand in their success, it is their own hard work and perseverance that has really made the difference.

I really see this when it comes to health.  Recently, with COVID, there are many who believe that because of their healthy living, supplements, and research, they have been able to beat COVID without much difficulty.  I am sure that these things don’t hurt, but much of what decides how well people do with COVID has to do with age (which we don’t control), access to health care, and genetic factors.  Quite simply, if you are young, live in the United States, and have the right parents, you will sail through your experience with COVID.

If on the other hand, you live in India, are 60 years old, have genetic tendencies towards a bad COVID response, and your local hospital is out of beds and oxygen you may die. 

We don't need to feel bad for the benefits we receive, but we must not feel smug about them either.  I believe these God given gifts bring with them two responsibilities.

First, we need to share freely with others.  To whom much is given, much will be required.  There are many who are less fortunate.  Many people live in war-torn countries, suffer from ill health, and wonder where their next meal will come from.  As God gives to us, we need to give to others.

The second thing is that we should feel gratitude for the blessings we experience.  We didn’t pick our parents.  We didn’t decide all the opportunities we would have in our lives.  We didn’t choose to be born into communities that allow us to worship without persecution.

Many in this world do not have these things and still manage to be grateful.  We can do no less.

The biggest problem with self-made men and women is that they have a fallible creator.

It is much better to realize our smallness and our absolute dependency on God.

These gifts come to us, not because we are special, but because God is good.  Taking credit for them is simply ingratitude.  In a world full of sickness and war, it is vital that the people of God share with others and point to Him as the source of their blessings.