When God Gives You Unexpected Blessings

This devotional goes along with a DIY tutorial you can find here: How to Whitewash a Brick Fireplace Easily

Whitewashing the fireplace was definitely out of my comfort zone, as with most things we can’t control.  When I refinish a piece of furniture, I know I always have a plan B.  I always have the option to re-sand and re-finish, not if, but WHEN I mess up.

However, this project was a little different.  I knew no matter what, the fireplace would remain unchanged.  I would never be able to restore it to its old state, and that made me a little uncomfortable. 

Also, there was no way I could possibly predict how it would turn out.  I printed a photo off the internet and I clinched that image in my hand and mind.  I had expectations but this time there would be no guarantees and certainly no do-overs.

Sometimes in life, we hold onto expectations of God’s blessings so tightly that we forget that the very thing that sneaks up behind us and surprises us is a harbinger of His blessings in disguise.  What we see as an interruption, He sees as an intervention.

Our long-awaited expectations blind us from seeing the very blessings of God right in front of our eyes.  Our own expectations can inhibit us from anticipating God’s greatest blessings. 

For God’s preparation and gifts seldom come wrapped in the packages of our own control.  Instead, His greatest prizes come in a gift box that we could have never contrived even if we tried.

My daughter Morgan went through a rare autoimmune disease when she was younger.  Those were hard days, but through them, I see God’s preparation for the kind, empathetic, caring woman she will one day become. 

Recently, she was diagnosed with dyslexia.  Again, this is not what I expected but I choose to anticipate God’s blessings through our struggles.  

Anytime God calls you to sacrifice, He WILL replace it with something greater.

Her learning disability was not on my radar but I know God has a better plan.  For her brain works in an amazing way that is sure to prepare her for the plans God has already laid in her path.

In the same way, the results of the fireplace aren’t something I could control.  Does it look just like the image I printed?  Not really.  But despite that, the results are amazing and are far greater than I expected.  

True transformation means we will be left unchanged, unable to ever revert to old habits and tendencies.  Through God’s grace, we can allow ourselves to let go of our expectations and can anticipate the freedom of being surprised by grace.

Click here to see the full step-by-step tutorial for transforming the fireplace.