For May 1st:

“No temptation has overtaken you not common to man. God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 

1 Corinthians 10:13

            Finding God everywhere. Staying in His presence by seeing Him in everything, also means that He is in the not so beautiful moments in our lives too. If God is in the dimple of your son’s smile as he achieves a hard earned goal, then God must also be in the tear rolling down your daughter’s face as her heart is broken over a loss.           

Inspired by the dare in Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts, (2009) we have been making lists of things we love counting our blessings since January. By now we realize that lists of gifts and blessings are more than just the happy and beautiful things. As we continue making these lists, we hope to see that gifts can also be not so happy moments that taught us something or helped us grow in our faith. Blessings that have not been so beautiful have opened our eyes to lessons we might not have been open to learn otherwise. Let’s start including unlovely things on our list because we realize that by being grateful, even for the darkness of difficulties, is knowing God is there too. We are beginning to realize that it is ALL blessing. And when we begin to see it ALL that way we begin to see God’s glory in EVERYTHING and we are glorifying Him all the time.

Over the next couple of months the devotional entries in this Living a Life of Gratitude Daily Devotional will focus around finding blessings in the trials, “beauty in the ugliness” (Ann Voskamp). When we are faced with trials, hardships, tragedies, we tend to look at the above scripture and obsess over the “tempted beyond our ability” part of Paul’s message. “What does he mean? This situation IS beyond my ability!!!” is what we might be feeling. Mark Flynn preached about temptation back in September of last year and in his sermon he taught that “Temptation is not sin. We are all tempted—even Jesus. It is how we respond to temptation that is or is not sin.” We must read the rest of Paul’s message to fully grasp what he is saying. “He will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it”.  The sin in trials, hardships and tragedies is how we choose to respond to these situations.” Our response can be to choose bitterness, jealousy, unhappiness, self-centeredness. Or our ESCAPE could be finding “beauty in the ugliness”. Finding something to be thankful for in these situations. God provides us with little windows and doors to escape from the ugliness. We just have to find a way to open them. Our response to the temptation is our opportunity for spiritual growth. It is a choice. As we read the devotions in the months ahead, look for the blessings in the trials, the “beauty in the ugliness”.

And, keep adding to your lists.

CUMC Women’s Ministry