I was reading this Psalm and I realized I’ve read this portion before. I just love it. Yes, God be gracious to me and bless me! Please let Your face shine upon me! But I usually stop there. I want God to bless me to make me more comfortable or for my own glory. I want it to benefit me. Isn’t that what a blessing is all about?

Verse two challenges this. We should want God to bless us so that His name will be known. We want God to be gracious to us so His salvation will be known among all the nations. Athlete, how differently would we view our blessings if we thought they were not about us or for us, but rather that they’re about God and for God’s glory? Of course in all His love and grace, God wants to bless us. It pleases Him to bless His children (Numbers 24:1), but ultimately, it’s about Him.

Sometimes I forget and think my life is center stage. It’s my story, my happiness, my struggles. I forget that there’s a bigger picture. I forget that my life is a part of God’s story. The blessings in my life are to reflect His goodness. The blessings in my life are to showcase how awesome God is!

Prayer to consider today: Father God, thank You so much for the blessings You lavish upon me day after day. Let me not look so longingly at the blessings You give other people that I overlook the blessings You have given me. Show me how to showcase You through the blessings You’ve given me.

Reflect: What do you think about the idea that your blessings are to showcase God?

Challenge: Keep a journal this week (or even one day) writing out all the blessings God’s given you (for example, #1: waking you up and giving you the breath to breathe).

Outreach Challenge: When you’re at a checkout counter or at a restaurant and the person serving you asks you how you’re doing, look him or her in the eye, reply, ask how he or she is doing and wait for the answer. Too often we ask (or get asked) how someone is doing, and we really don’t care about the answer. Show that you care by looking them in the eye and waiting for their reply.