Blessed by the Light

Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers,

Every good and perfect gift is from above,

Coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,

Who does not change like shifting shadows.

James 1:16-17

Have you ever been deceived into thinking that all you’ve been blessed with came from something, or someone, other than heaven?

You have a nice house (car, TV, family, career, health, whatever) because of creative financing, discipline, and hard work.

Of course, it’s from God, whom James describes as the Father of lights and the opposite of “shifting shadows.”

The things we tend to attribute our blessings to are more like those shifting shadows.

The “creative financing” that allowed so many to buy a house they can’t afford is like a shifting shadow. In fact, those “toxic” mortgages shifted so much that the last ones left holding them have had to go out of business. Now the US government will be left holding the bag (and you and I will have to pay for them, again and again.)

The discipline and self-control that you are so proud of can certainly shift. Ask anyone who has ever tried to stick to a diet, budget, or 12 step program. Shadows temporarily shift and self-control is temporarily darkened.

And even your ability to just work hard may someday be in jeopardy. Like the slow moving shadows at the end of the day, your ability to make everything work out your way will slowly set below the horizon.

No, our blessings come from the eternal source of a never changing light. It never burns out, never moves to another position, and never needs to be upgraded to a CFL.

Recognizing the source of your blessings makes you more humble and appreciative.