And I Was Not Aware...

16 When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” -Genesis 28:16

40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him,41 “What do you want me to do for you?”-Luke 18:40-41

You have to wonder about Jesus' question to the blind man... "What do you want me to do for you?"  Uh... duh... Jesus.  In case you didn't notice, I'm blind!  

I don't think Jesus was being obtuse. God knows what we want and he knows what we need.  It's us who really get confused between the two.  And quite often, we don't even know what we really want, especially in this "gotta have it" society in which we live.  Our tendency is usually to want what someone else has.

When God asks us what we want, it is because he wants us to figure it out. He's leading us to put it into words.  Do we really want a bigger house?  Or do we want to learn how to appreciate the house we already have?  Do we want to make more money?  Or do we want to learn how to live within our means?  Do we want to be healed?  Or do we want to learn how to bring God glory through our infirmity?

That's where deepening our gratitude comes in.  It's not enough to just say, "I'm thankful for my job."  We should try to articulate exactly what it is about our job we are thankful for.  Think about the work you do and those who benefit from your job.  Think about the people that you interact with each and every day and how they bless your life.  Think about how you are compensated... paycheck, benefits, etc.  

And instead of complaining about each of these things, find a way to be grateful.  What if you didn't have clients/customers?  What if you were physically unable to do what you do? What if your pay was suddenly cut in half?  When you think about it this way, you will find yourself saying, like Jacob did, “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.”

God is everywhere and in everything and every circumstance.  We just are seldom aware of it until we take the time to look... really look.

Father,
Make us aware of what we already have so that we might curb our insatiable appetite for more, more, more.  Amen.