This weekend I heard the story of a courageous young woman who has battled unimaginable health issues for more than six years. Her story, though painful and riddled with periods of fear and doubt, is a triumphant testament to the goodness of God. In her words, “God is real, and He is good.”
There were so many ways in which her testimony touched me, so many facets of her story that blew me away. How did she find courage when the pain seemed to have no end? How did she keep praising God when everyone around her couldn’t wrap their heads around it? How did she trust all things to work together for good when there were no answers for her crisis?
Two things stood out to me, both powerful and real. In the midst of all-consuming spasms that seized control of her entire body, she listened to music that spoke of God’s love, mercy, and goodness through our trials. And even in the shadow of a pain most of us will never know, she practiced counting what she called, “Peripheral Blessings.”
I don’t know if she coined the term, but I’ll definitely be making use of it. There are so many intricate treasures woven throughout our day-to-day lives that we, caught up in our earthly woes, too often overlook. If she, who has suffered in ways I may never fully grasp, can find blessings in her peripheral, hidden treasures to light her darkness, I know I will never, never run out of things to praise God for.
Today, let’s try looking around at our lives and counting our peripheral blessings.