My fellow blogger, Rachel Beran (http://beranville.blogspot.com/) recently wrote, “What is your measure of expectation as you approach God for a blessing? Do you expect to receive from God or do you tend to be forgetful like me?”

Her blog spoke to me and I wrote to her saying, “Thank you for your recent blog post about receiving a blessing from God. That was very powerful and very applicable for me as I’ve had significant improvement over the last 4-5 days. Yesterday was a little rough but I’ll find out how today is. But I find myself first thinking, ‘Oh, it’s the medicines that I changed to.’ Then I’ll say, ‘Well, God used the new medicines.’ But hey, why can’t it just be: God is healing me! He’s decided it’s time. And He alone is doing it! He’s giving me a blessing. Why is it so hard to acknowledge that blessing?

As a day or two has gone by now since then and the Lord has continued to show me He is healing me, I’ve been able to receive His blessing more fully. And I’ve recognized that even if I have a setback it doesn’t mean that everything is for naught. There will be three steps forward and two steps back. I backed off on one of my pain meds yesterday and more of the burning came back but it’s so far less than it used to be. I had to remind myself of the way it used to be. I almost couldn’t make it to the bathroom and back because of the excruciating pain. I couldn’t take a shower without such pain that I was holding my breath only wanting to get back into bed and lay down so that the pain would go away. Yesterday, I took a shower and enjoyed it! The pain was minimal.

So I’m receiving my blessing from God and letting everyone know He has done it. Why did God delay for seven months? I don’t know all the answers. I know I’ve grown a lot and hopefully been transformed more into Christ’s image. For sure, I’m more compassionate to those who hurt. I’ve considered myself a compassionate person but I think I have a new level of awareness of the difficulty of chronic pain or any pain.

I’ll most likely notice more changes in me as I move into a more normal life…like leave the house! For sure, I’ll never take sitting for granted again! I can guarantee that. Over the past seven months, there have been a few times when I was able to sit. Before my pain became too bad, I was sitting with light meds. But then as the pain grew worse, I couldn’t sit even with heavy pain medicine.

Yesterday, I sat to eat lunch for 20 minutes with minimum pain and minimum pain meds. There is such improvement. I’m thanking God and praising Him and receiving my blessing.

How about you? Can you receive a blessing from God or does it seem too incredible for Him to bless you?