Receive your blessings!

Friends,

Those of you who know me are aware of my little ‘Starbucks” ministry. In essence, I like to visit a Starbucks with a drive-thru, place my order and pay for the order behind me. It’s just a small way that I try to be a blessing to others. Although most people will never understand why I do it, I like spreading God’s love through a cup of coffee. I don’t do it expecting anything in return. It does brighten my day, though. This sense of happiness could question whether or not any kind act is truly altruistic. That can easily turn into a heated argument that would never end, so I’ll leave it alone…

Today, I had one last gift to buy for my mother’s birthday. I wanted to give her a gift card to one of her favorite stores. As I was standing in line with my one, little gift card, the couple in front of me was nice enough to ask if I wanted to go ahead of them. The woman stated that she didn’t mind as her transaction would probably take a while. I thanked her for her generosity, but told her that I really didn’t mind the wait. After all, she was there first, right?

The checker completed her order and I paid for my gift card. As I left the store, I headed to the nearest Starbucks. Not only was I craving a Chai latte, but I was ready to bless someone with their beverage of choice!

Minutes later, I arrived at the drive-thru. The place was packed. Awesome! I was so excited. I got in line behind several other cars. As I sat in my truck, idling in the cold, I anxiously awaited my “victim.”

Nobody came.

I eventually placed my order and made my way to the window. Then, nothing… Not a single car pulled in behind me! I paid for my coffee and left. I didn’t let it show on my face, but I was kind of bummed! Why wouldn’t God want me to bless one of His children? Then, I started to think, “If I would have been here just one minute earlier, I would have had my opportunity.”

Bingo! I DID have the opportunity, but I blew it. I didn’t allow that couple to bless me. Had I accepted their blessing to let me check out before them, I WOULD have made it to Starbucks earlier. You see, blessings are a cycle. I was so eager to do something nice for someone that I didn’t realize that it was okay for someone to do something nice for me. I had stopped someone else’s blessing. Maybe that couple was just trying to brighten my day and put a smile on my face. I stopped it! Maybe I bummed them out!

I constantly proclaim that I am ready for favor, abundance and blessing. Am I? I’ve written, preached, etc. to others about having an attitude of expectance. I realized today that I need to accept the small blessings if I’m going to accept the big ones.

So, what am I saying? Am I telling you to take advantage of every situation and exploit every event for your own personal gain? Of course, not. But I am saying that it’s okay to accept a blessing every once in a while.

We are a proud society. Whether you’re a man or a woman, a lot of us have a hard time letting people do things for us. I’ve talked at length about this with a friend of mine. She kind of brought it to my attention a few days ago. Today, I lived it. Let people help you. Let them bless you. Those who are blessed are a greater blessing to others.

In Christ,

James