Gifts (Part 2)

Good morning and welcome to the last blog post of the year. Last week I talked about Jesus, the biggest, most incredible gift ever given. This week, I am thinking in more recent terms. I am called to reflect on what 2013 has brought me. And it doesn't take long to realise that God has given me a lot of good things this year.

I don't mean material things, of course, though I did get a rather good haul of Christmas and birthday presents this year. Chiefly, I mean people. A lot of amazing people have come into my life, people I didn't know at all. And there have been quite a few people I already knew, who have come to play a bigger part than they had before. And each one has touched my life and made a lasting positive impact on me and the way I view the world. Thank you all for being such a wonderful blessing.

I have a job and a home and a family that I love. I have unprecedented good health. I have places I can sing and, through this blog and the other thing I do, places I can write. I am developing the talents I always wanted to work on, and discovering new ones I didn't even know I had. I am learning more about what it means to be me.

But that's not all. God has given me a lot of other, less tangible things as well. At the end of the year, I realise I have travelled a long way on my emotional and spiritual journey. Though I still have far to go, I can sit back for a second and see how far I've come. This year has seen the beginnings of a transformation.

So as I take a moment now to be still and count my blessings, I encourage you to do the same. Maybe you will find this easy, but maybe you won't. Maybe 2013 has not been a good year for you. Maybe you have lost things you used to have, or not received things you had hoped to receive. But no year is without good points. Take time to appreciate what God has given you. And thank him.