Today when I was resting with Mariana, I started thinking about blessings. At first I thought about how I should really count my blessings. I had that old hymn on my mind and it really stirred me to think of how many ways I could count the many blessings God has brought into my life. Then I started thinking about how with each blessing, I could dig deeper and find more blessings within the original. It occurred to me that by “dividing” the “big” blessing, I would see a multitude of other blessings within it. And, honestly, that just hit me as such a God thing. I mean, there is no other way to divide and come up with a greater number. Dividing leads to reduction, right? Not with blessings. Because the deeper you get into dividing out the blessings in life, the more you see how much you’ve been blessed. Amazing.
Seriously, did I just make any sense at all? Or, is this one of those thought processes that makes people sort of go “Hmmm. Okay.” and move on?! Let me see if I can explain it better…
I got to thinking about one particular blessing in our family that we also believe involved at least one miracle. This took place last summer (2007) when Macey, Mariana and I were outside playing in the play-fort in our backyard. The fort, at that time, had a ladder to get into and out of it with an opening in the floor. The girls and I were using sidewalk chalk up there to draw on the walls and floors. I cautioned Macey to be VERY careful around the opening and to really pay attention so that she didn’t fall out of the opening and get hurt. Well, less than one minute later, she fell. It happened so quickly that I didn’t even SEE it happening. She screamed out and cried for me and I knew that she had fallen in just an instant. I grabbed Mariana, climbed down the ladder and went to Macey. Miraculously, she had landed where her head was wedged between the support beams and the ladder. She had not fallen and broken anything. She was conscious and alert. We took her to the pediatrician who believed her to be fine, but sent us on to the ER to be on the safe side. By this point, we could see some obvious bruises and scratches, but Macey was acting normal and was even wanting to eat. So, we got her a Happy Meal on the way to the ER. The doctor came in for the exam and suggested a CT Scan. Because Macey had eaten, they wouldn’t be able to do a sedated scan for several hours, but said that if she could hold still, they could do it with no sedation. So, I talked to her, went in with her and stayed right with her during the scan and she did great – never moved a bit. Fortunately, the scan revealed no internal bleeding, nothing broken, no major injury. The worst of Macey’s injuries were a hematoma behind her ear and some scrapes and less significant bruises. We were free to go home and just told to ice her bruises and give over-the-counter meds for pain. Macey was absolutely fine after that. My heart had taken a terrible beating since I was the one out there with her when it all happened. So, I think in some ways I was worse off than she was when it was all said and done. In the end, she was fine.
When I think about the events of that unfortunate accident, I see God’s fingerprints ALL over it. I see miracles and I see blessings. The biggest miracle, to me, was that Macey landed in such a way that she wasn’t seriously injured or worse. It could have just been awful if she had landed much of any other way. We just feel that she must have had an angel there to cushion her fall. There are also so many blessings about that day. The biggest, of course, was that Macey was okay. If I had to list just one blessing about the day, it would be that she came through it okay. But, when I really think about it and divide it all out, there are just so many more blessings there. It was a blessing that the girls and I got to play outside that day and have fun before the accident happened. It was a blessing (and miracle) that Macey didn’t fall in a worse way than she did. It was a blessing that she had a pediatrician that took her in immediately. It was a blessing that she felt like eating on the way to the ER and was acting like her normal self all the while. It was a blessing that the ER wasn’t crowded and we were seen really quickly. It was a blessing that they had a movie in the ER room to keep the girls occupied. It was a blessing that we could be there as a family and not have to be separated or in waiting rooms. It was a blessing that the doctor would order a CT scan without sedation. It was a blessing that Macey didn’t move and handled the CT so well. It was a blessing that no major injuries resulted. It was a blessing to return home with only over the counter medication to take as needed. It was a blessing to have dinner at a local pizza joint that night with friends to take our mind off things. SO many blessings were all over that day. Yet, I could easily sum it up with just saying it was a blessing that Macey was okay. But, to divide it out, to break it down, reveals so much more. And, to me, that’s how God works. He’s mysterious. He’s gracious and good. He’s above and beyond our understanding. He’s powerful and strong. He still works miracles. And, He sends those blessings to us all the time whether or not we take the time to realize just how deeply those beautiful blessings actually go.
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your blessings
See what God has done
Count your blessings
Name them one by one
Count your many blessings
See what God has done…
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