What's Under Your Umbrella?

Bendiciones, benedictions, segen- In other words : BLESSINGS! 

I have never quite understood the concept of blessings.

The missionaries promised me that if I read the scriptures, I will receive blessings, if I pay my tithing,  if I obey the commandments, if I am kind to others, if I serve people, if I go on a mission, I will receive blessings, and so will my family.

So what are blessings? They come from God, they come from our obedience and efforts, they are a gift from Heavenly Father, and they bring us joy.

But if they are a gift, why do we have to work for them?

One of the most different things of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is that we, as members, pay tithing. Tithing is 10% given to the church of our income. They did it in the old testament and the new testament, and it's what God has commanded us to do. It's one of the things that I have found most difficult explaining to other people, for why we give money. 

And it comes along with the explanation, that we will be blessed. Which is completely true. 

But what does that mean? Does it mean we will be blessed with a good job, more money later on, more happiness, or help to avoid temptations from the adversary (Satan). 

Yes it means all those things, but how? 

I used to think of Blessings like a box, that was sent down from Heavenly Father. It was my gift. I would open it, and then I would get my blessings. But then I started thinking of it more like little things, like a little box here and there in my house, where I open it, and I feel a little joy, or a get a call from someone for a job interview that I've been wanting.

But then I realized, that blessings are more like rain drops. Actually, they are more like hail, they are coming down all around us, everywhere. 

And we are the ones choosing which ones we WANT to receive. 

I think that I used to just stand outside with a cup, and catch all the blessings I could. 

But what if we used a bucket? And caught EVEN more blessings.

Or... a wheel barrow! Think of how many blessings we could catch then.

Or the back of a truck, or a house with an open roof! 

Everything could just be flooded with blessings! If we just allow ourselves to receive them.

And I just realized. When God talks to us in the scriptures, he is asking us to consecrate our whole lives towards him! That doesn't mean we go to church every day 24/7, but it means that in all that we do, we should be looking towards him. Always.

When we pray each morning, it's like opening the roof in our room, to receive blessings,

 if you pray as a family, it's like opening the whole house to receive blessings, 

when you pray before a test, it's opening your brain to receive the blessings,

 when we pray over the food, it's opening our bodies to blessings.

When you pay tithing, it's opening your finances to endless blessings,

when you try to do everything according to God's will, in everyday of your life,

it's opening up EVERY single day for God to give you blessings.

When you read, it's opening up the doors to give you blessings.

Sometimes we think God is picky and choosy about the blessings that he gives us.

But that's not true at all.

WE ARE the ones that are picking which blessings we actually want to get from God.

Sometimes, on bad days, we even stand with an umbrella trying not receive any of the blessings.

God is constantly pouring down blessings. I promise.

We are the ones who choose to receive them.  

In the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen!