Right off the bat, let me state that I LOVE the following piece. This blog site came to life post-Thanksgiving in 2010 promoting the value of gratitude. Since then contributions from caring friends and family have graced this page, a blessing I am sincerely thankful for.
My goal in keeping up this site is to be the Voice of positive minds and grateful hearts. Believe me, as every Google publisher knows, it is not an easy routine to keep a blog site alive! My hope is that I am succeeding by inspiring hope, joy and gratitude.
BFF Josie's friend Rollie contributed this awesome material for which I am deeply grateful. Thanks, R&J!
My goal in keeping up this site is to be the Voice of positive minds and grateful hearts. Believe me, as every Google publisher knows, it is not an easy routine to keep a blog site alive! My hope is that I am succeeding by inspiring hope, joy and gratitude.
BFF Josie's friend Rollie contributed this awesome material for which I am deeply grateful. Thanks, R&J!
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Increase Your Capacity To Enjoy Life
Taste and see that the Lord is good. (Psalms 34:8)
Yes, God is good.
But do you taste His goodness?
Do you savor it? Do you feel it? Do you experience it? Do you delight in it? Revel and dance and sing in it?
God isn’t only good to you, He also wants you to enjoy His goodness.
If God gives a man wealth and property and lets him enjoy them, he should be grateful and enjoy what he has worked for. It is a gift from God. (Ecclesiastes 5:19)
Did you notice? The words “grateful” and “enjoy” happen at the same time.
Here’s God’s big message for you today: The more grateful you are, the more you’ll enjoy your blessings!
Two years ago, someone came up to me, asking for prayers.
With much anger, this person said, “Please pray for me, Brother Bo. I feel so bad. My heart is so heavy. I’m a salesman. I got P350,000 in commission…”
I looked at the person in a funny way. I wondered to myself, “what’s so bad about that?”
As if to answer my question, the person said, “It should have been P500,000! But I didn’t reach my quota by just a few pesos. Because of that technicality, I didn’t get half a million. I got P350,000 only…”
After praying for the salesman, I went backstage.
A friend of mine was waiting for me there.
When I saw her, she was smiling from ear to ear. She said, “Bo, I’m so happy! I just received a P3000 increase in my salary!”
I laughed.
Why was one person complaining about P350,000—and another person enjoying her P3000?
There was only one difference between these two people: Gratitude!
Let me say it again: The more grateful you are, the more you’ll enjoy your blessings.
Your gratitude is directly proportionate to your enjoyment.
The more grateful you are, the more enjoyment you feel.
The less grateful you are, the less enjoyment you feel.
Are you grateful?
Warning:
When You’re Not Grateful For The Blessings,
You May Lose Them
A man came up to me, totally broken.
He was very open to me. He said, “Eight years ago, I had an affair. I broke up with my wife of 16 years. I also left my 3 children. I chose this younger, sexier girl. At that time, I really thought I was doing the right thing.”
He went on. “Recently, that younger, sexier girl is now seeing a younger, sexier man.” Suddenly, he was tasting his own bitter medicine.
“Bo, I regret what I did. Eight years ago, I had it all. I had a wife and kids. We were happy together. I didn’t appreciate what I had. Now, I’ve lost everything.”
This is very common: We don’t know the blessings we have until we lose them.
To Enjoy A Blessing,
You Need To Know It’s a Blessing
Learn to enjoy what you have.
Do you have a baby at home? When you have dirty diapers to change, that’s a blessing. Because that means your baby can pee and poo. Believe me, if one day, your baby can’t poo, you’ll be crying non-stop, praying on your knees until he poos.
And when your kids are noisy, that’s a blessing. Yesterday, my son celebrated his birthday party at home with 583 kids. Actually, there were only 5 kids. But they sounded like 583. And the amount of toys littered on the floor, you’d think it was a battlefield of Armaggedon. Grrrrr!
I repeat: When your kids are noisy, and you feel irritated, that’s a blessing. First of all, that means your kids are still at home. A day will come when your kids will grow up and leave you. And one day, you’ll be living in an empty, quiet house. And you’ll be praying for the noise to come back! Oh, enjoy the noise while it lasts.
And when you have a pile of stinky laundry in your laundry basket, that’s a blessing. That means God has blessed you with nice clothes to wear.
When you have dirty dishes to wash in your sink, that’s a blessing. That means God has blessed you with delicious food to eat, and family and friends to eat with you.
When you have to pay taxes, that’s a blessing. That means you earned money. So many people don’t have money.
When you have problems with your boss, that’s a blessing. That means you have a job. So many people are looking for jobs and can’t find any.
Remember, there are two kinds of blessings…
Two Kinds Of Blessings
Not all blessings are created equal.
Some blessings are temporary.
Some blessings are permanent.
In 2009, my friends—a married couple—lost everything they owned when typhoon Ondoy ravaged their home. The flood rose up so quickly, they couldn’t save a thing—not their cash, not their jewelry, not any of their appliances, or furniture, or clothes…
But they were able to save their kids.
When I visited them, all they possessed were the clothes they were wearing. But the father told me something very moving, I’ll never forget what he said.
“Bo, we lost everything,” he explained, “but today, as we hug our kids, we feel as though we have everything.”
What happened?
My friends realized the difference between permanent blessings and temporary blessings.
Yes, our loved ones do die. I lost my father three years ago, but I still love him. And I know that I’ll meet him again. Because death is temporary and Heaven is permanent.
Here’s what I realized: When you enjoy your permanent blessings (love, people, relationships), you’ll be able to also enjoy your temporary blessings.
Let me explain.
Because I love being with my wife, my kids, and my friends, I take 10 small vacations a year.
If I didn’t enjoy my relationships, it wouldn’t matter if I take my vacations in Paris London Moscow
But if I enjoy my relationships, we can take our vacation in Luneta Park Manila
Enjoy Your Greatest Blessing
Let me end with one last story.
One day, a young man was graduating from college.
Before his graduation, he told his father (in many indirect ways) about his dream car. He told him the brand, the model, the color…
The father never told him he was going to give him a car as a graduation gift—but the son was expecting it. He knew his father was rich and could afford it.
After the graduation ceremonies and family dinner, the father said to the son, “I love you so much son. I’m so proud of you. And I prepared a very special gift for you.”
The son’s heart was filled with expectation.
The father led his son to the master’s bedroom. He then handed to him a small box.
The son was disappointed. But out of curiosity, he opened the box. When he lifted the lid, he saw a leather Bible inside with his name embossed on the cover.
The son shook his head and became very angry. He shouted, “With all your money, this is all you could give me?”
He threw the gift on the floor and stormed out of the room. He stormed out of the house. He stormed out of their lives.
He left home and travelled far away. He found a job in another city. The parents tried to reach him, but he never answered their calls.
A couple of years later, the son received the news that his father had died. Convicted, he decided to visit the family.
Upon returning home, his heart was filled with sadness and regret. He walked into the bedroom of his father.
And he saw, at the side-table beside the bed, was a familiar box. He opened the box and saw again the Bible with his name embossed on its cover.
With tears, he picked it up and began leafing through the pages.
As he did, he felt something sticking at the back.
He turned the Bible over. And there he saw, taped on the back cover, was a key.
The father gave him his dream car, after all. But he didn’t enjoy this “temporary gift” because he didn’t enjoy the “permanent gift” his father gave him—a relationship with God.
God isn’t only the Blesser.
He is also the Greatest Blessing you’ll ever receive.
Enjoy Him!
May your dreams come true.
