Blessed or Cursed?

Just a few short days ago, I shared a special blessing with my facebook pals. I posted that a friend had texted my husband asking him if he wanted a dorm refrigerator for one of our girls who are in college. The timing was perfect!
Our eldest daughter’s roommate, who had provided a refrigerator, was not returning for the spring semester. The quad our daughter is in allows her to cook, but she would need a refrigerator for her personal foods. Earlier in the day she and I had discussed the need for a refrigerator, strategically planned on how she would save money to get one, and prayed the Lord would help us.

That evening, my husband came home from work; he told me there was a mini dorm refrigerator in the garage for our daughter. He appreciated the gift from his friend and found it amusing that people try to text him when he simply doesn’t know how to use that kind of technology. Me on the other hand, I was astonished, excited, and truly felt blessed that the Lord had moved on the situation so quickly.
However, this morning the story quickly changed. When I went to our household refrigerator there was a puddle on the floor. My heart sunk, “Oh no! Not this, it can’t be. We get blessed with a mini refrigerator and now this?! I hate that devil!” I began to clean up the melted substances in front of it and my blood began to boil. After cleaning up the mess, I opened the freezer side. The meat was thawed, the berries were dripping, and the ice was melted from the top down – it was clearly the source of the puddle I had cleaned up. In hopes of the door not being shut correctly, I decided to get scientific. I made sure there wasn’t anything wedging the door open and monitored the temperature. After about an hour it seemed the machine was holding its temperature, but didn’t get colder. I called the repair man to discover that he would not be in for two days, he took weekends off. I continued my scientific quest and unplugged it for another half hour. I lost two degrees. I plugged it back in and gained one degree and it maintained an improper temperature for the next few hours. I didn’t want to burn the motor and unplugged the refrigerator.

I called my girls and asked them to help me clean out the refrigerator. We put most of our items in boxes and let the great outdoors be our “natural” refrigerator. The items we frequently use were placed in the blessed little refrigerator. While shifting my food around, I had a paradigm shift in my thinking. I suddenly became aware that the Lord knew my household refrigerator was on the fritz. He made a way to sustain us for the weekend. The only thing the devil had on me was the way I would think about it. Leaving me with the question, do I live as a blessed child of God or as a cursed human on this earth?
The answer is both. Indeed, I am a cursed human on this earth. From the time of Adam and Eve, mankind has struggled with “the curse,” “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life,” (Gen 3:17b) And yet because I AM a child of God ,through the sufferings and bloodshed of Jesus Christ, I AM BLESSED! “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us,” (Gal 13:3 a) Because of the work of the cross, I can walk in a blessing, “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered,” (Romans 4:7).

Realizing that I am blessed doesn’t exempt me from the follies of a fallen world. I face just as many trials and tribulations as someone who has not been delivered from the curse. Yet, I have the hope, anticipation, and even expectation of victory, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world,” (John 16:33)

In this corrupt world, refrigerators will break as well as many other things. The enemy of my soul would like me to believe I remain in that fallen state of the curse. But God’s Written and Alive Word tells me otherwise. As I confess His truth I discover joy, strength, and peace while I wait for His outcome. May you be truly blessed this 2012 year. No matter what comes your way, fix your eyes on Him. He has the victory for you. Oh yes, as for the world ending in 2012, don’t worry about that either. Rest in knowing that the Father will set the time and mankind will not be able predict such things, “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father,” (Mark 13:32). Peace and blessings be with you in 2012!