Assuming Blessing

After a 10 day road trip from the prairies of Kansas to the majesty of the Pacific Northwest, Dad dropped off my 22 year old self for a summer of camp-counseling, exhaustion, growth, cleaning, singing, and deep conversations. After he hugged me goodbye, he gave me a bag of 44 rocks from my favorite spot in the world: the shore of Lake Superior. 22 rocks had his favorite bible verses written on them, and the other 22 had words of advice or positive characteristics I obtain. 

I keep these rocks on my night stand. After a long day, I dump them on my bed and read them one by one. "Assume blessing, not curse" has been a rock that has continued to speak truth in my life over the last 2 years. 

When life's season grows dark or stationary, it is easy to wallow in "life's curse." Reality constricts itself to what you feel and the circumstance you are currently in. Your lack of control over life's direction and dreams leaves you in a place of expecting the worst. When you're unable to see the way life is going or the reason behind your suffering, the safest place to go is a place of inevitable pain and defeat. There is no disappointment or loss when you don't expect blessing in life's sorrow.

We are called into a life of "assumed blessing." We live under the protective hands that direct our pains, losses, and failures to fulfill His purpose. We are a testament of God's ability to redeem brokenness. Every day, He redeems our brokenness into purposed salvation. Pain is inevitable and hurt is unavoidable. But His love is inescapable. His provision places us under the assumption of His blessings.

The loneliest place of flawed security is reveling in our sin-fueled pessimism. The truest security we have is the gift of receiving His provision and His promise of turning our ashes into life. We stand on the rock of His promised (assumed) blessing through all circumstances, in all seasons, despite all pain. 

"Be to me a rock of refuge, to which I may continually come; you have given the command to save me, for you are my rock and my fortress."

-Psalm 71:3