Do you ever stop to realize how wonderful it is to have electricity?  During a recent storm, our electricity went out for several hours, and I was reminded (again) of the tendency to take blessings for granted.

What are your thoughts about taking things for granted?  Is this something that most people do, to some extent, and if so, why do we do this?

As I consider my own life, it seems that after a period of time, a blessing can become too common, and until that blessing is somehow jeopardized, we may begin to overlook the blessing’s significance in our life.

I suspect that we are never so grateful for a car, for example, as after it has broken down, we have been inconvenienced for a while, and then it is working again.  The same could be said, I think, of electricity, our health, relationships, or many other blessings in our lives.

It is ironic to me that in some cases, we may, through neglect, contribute to the demise of the blessing that we once cherished.  Rather than investing the time and effort to maintain our health, a car, or a relationship, we may focus on other endeavors that may appear to have more immediate rewards.  Eventually, without the proper care, what we once valued may be put at risk.  Then the cycle begins again.

I am going to try to be more mindful of the many little things that can make life joyful (even electricity).