Unexpected Blessings

A year ago, we went on vacation to Lake Tahoe. We prayed that God would surprise us with unexpected blessings that week. We had nothing particular in mind except that we wanted to be refreshed and enjoy his creation. God answered that prayer, and it turned out to be one of the best vacations we've experienced in recent memory. Every day was full of surprises.

One day, we decided to go for a hike. We weren't sure if we could finish the hike due to a lack of proper equipment, but we nearly completed it. The hike was beautiful. My mind regularly turns to some of the scenes we witnessed that day. I loved the beauty of creation and the joy of challenging our bodies as we explored God's good world.

Another day, we were driving home on the east side of Lake Tahoe. We pulled over to look at the sunset, and it was breathtaking. A driver stopped to admire the view and shared that after decades on that road, the sunset was one of the best he'd ever seen.

Blessings like this continued all week. On one hand, they seemed so ordinary, but God’s gifts often appear that way. We were so grateful for how he answered our prayer and blessed our vacation that week.

Last week, we had another vacation, this time much closer to home. We checked the weather forecast and realized it was going to rain all week. On top of that, I was coming off a half marathon and battling a knee injury. I was limping. Uncertain about my injury and the bad weather, we prayed for unexpected blessings from God.

He did. The weather turned out to be much better than expected. My knee felt better than expected, and I enjoyed a couple of easy hikes with Char. Some blessings were small. I wanted to watch a couple of shows without subscribing to streaming services, and I found them available at my stay for free. One of his blessings was big. Last Friday, I won tickets to the first game of the World Series for free. Our vacation last week was very different from the previous year, but God blessed us in many ways.

It seems silly to write this. I’m not suggesting that God always answers our prayers in ways we expect or that he's obligated to give us these kinds of blessings. I realize many people are going through extraordinary suffering right now, and what I'm mentioning might seem incredibly trite. I've certainly experienced times when God hasn't answered prayer the way I've expected and where my hopes were not met.

I'm discovering that God cares about the small things in our lives, and it's okay to pray about them without expecting specific answers. When he gives us eyes to see and we look around our everyday lives, we just might spot some ways God blesses us every day that we hardly notice.

God is incredibly generous, and last week reminded us of his blessings in both big and small ways. I'm praying for the ability to see all the blessings God gives me, as they are more numerous than I often notice.