Shining Things

In 1997 I went on a mission trip to Honduras. We made our way from the airport in Tegucigalpa, which is literally one runway surrounded by mountains; big ones, to the middle of the jungle in Conchias. Aside from the lack of running water, paved roads, roofed homes, bathrooms, and chicken infested beds (they sleep with them to stay warm), there was something about these people; they were happy.

There were alot of toothless people in Conchias. One of the guys who was guiding us through this mission told us that Hondurans, especially the men, while they're working, love to chew on coffee beans, and that some of them do this all day long.

I remember coming home and the theme of our mission trip being this: "Man, we are sooo blessed here in America." But I didn't feel that way. I mean, yes, I realize that being able to have my daughter pop an ibuprofin to cure her headache, or an antibiotic to cure her illness is a blessing these people do not have. I have shoes and they don't. I have teeth...alot of them don't. We do HAVE here in America; but blessed? - in some ways, I guess.

So what is a blessing? Well if it's our kids then how come we don't enjoy them? If it's our relationships, then how come we don't take time out for them? If it's our church (yes, I hear it all the time "Northview is such a blessing to my family") then how come we don't go? You know what was a blessing to the Hondurans? Family, coffee, laughter, some game with a stick and a chicken. Simple things. They had nothing so complicated as a DVD player of which to call a blessing.

So I've been off all weekend (Fri, Sat, Sun, Mon) and it's been good. Here are the blessings I've had; redecorating my daugther's bedroom (I'm sure you'll catch pics on Heather's blog in the next week or so), my dog (she got the mangiest haircut, or furcut, but we still love her even though she's been transformed into Taco Bell dog), coffee on our front porch, with my wife, my dog, Heather's newspaper, all while watching Evalee water the flowers, knowing that she'd be recieving two Pokemon cards for it. Hmmm...sleeping in. Love it. Having a friend tell me that worship this past weekend, in my absence, was incredible. What else? Friday night with 3 sets of neighbors, all their kids, and a bonfire even though we never left the kitchen. Not showering for two days. Watching SNL until I fell asleep. Having great talks with Heather. Going for a late night walk alone, looking up at the moon and remembering a time in college where I felt the presence of God so close to me. There was a moment on my walk where the moon was shining so bright, and I pretended it was the reflection of God's pupil, like a camera flashes against the lens of our eye. I kept looking up and imagined where His other eye would be laid out in the sky, and then His nose and mouth, and then the rest of His face. Before long, His head alone had taken over all the sky I could see. And I remembered that as big as He is, He enjoys simple things; like me for instance. I walked the rest of the way home and knew that He was watching me, and that He was pleased.

I am blessed, but not because of my residence in the US of A. I'm blessed because I was able to recognize and enjoy the things God has placed in my life; the shining things. God, Heather, my girls, friends, neighbors, Mimi, funny blogs, sad ones, entrepreneurial ones, annuals, perennials, renovations, and coffee. Everything else is just black and white, but these three things remain, God, people, and coffee. And the greatest of these is.... God. ;)

Be blessed by the shining things.