![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/horizon-300x225.avif\")
Photo by Alexander Kluge<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n Isn’t it fascinating how the human mind works? When we begin focusing on certain things in our surroundings, we tend to find them, whether the color green, quiet background noises, or even the blessings we tend to take for granted.<\/p>\n When we decide to count our blessings, how many will we find? That’s like asking how many stars we can see.<\/p>\n Some blessings are not obvious because they are spiritual in nature or because they are disguised as problems. One of the most meaningful passages for Christians is this one: “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose<\/em>” (Romans 8:28 NASB).<\/p>\n Have you ever had a horrible experience but later saw great good in it? Through the lens of Scripture, we can view life from God’s perspective and see things we would never otherwise know.<\/p>\n We learn that God is in control, that He loves us, that He is the source of all our blessings, that we are here for a noble purpose, and that He has much greater blessings to offer if we fulfill the purpose for which He made us and redeemed us. How could we ever make sense of life without these and other insights? How could we see?<\/p>\n The complainer doesn’t see. The discontented person doesn’t see. The embittered individual doesn’t see. The person who constantly grabs for more material things doesn’t see. The ingrate doesn’t see.<\/p>\n I want to see!!! Don’t you?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by David Gibson Years ago, Reader’s Digest published an article by a woman who told how she and her family decided one day to make a game of looking for Volkswagen Bugs as they traveled. It was amazing how many they saw–back when VW Bugs were much more common. Isn’t it fascinating how the human…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[794,1420],"class_list":["post-70566","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-criticism","tag-grumbling"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":38378,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/a-natural-defense\/","url_meta":{"origin":70566,"position":0},"title":"A Natural Defense","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 15, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I found yet another interesting article in the paper today. Bed bugs have been making a comeback and scientists are looking for solutions that don't involve chemicals. A traditional defense against bed bugs in eastern Europe is to spread kidney bean leaves on the floor and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Bedbugs-and-Bean-Leaves.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Bedbugs-and-Bean-Leaves.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/04\/Bedbugs-and-Bean-Leaves.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":24747,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-bad-to-kill-bugs\/","url_meta":{"origin":70566,"position":1},"title":"Is it bad to kill bugs?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 13, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: This is probably going to sound like a very strange question, but is it a sin to kill bugs?\u00a0 Normally I try to save all the bugs that I can, even the spiders and transport them outside so they'll be nice and safe and happy.\u00a0 My parents laugh at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":94469,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/pauls-instructions\/","url_meta":{"origin":70566,"position":2},"title":"Paul’s Instructions","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 10, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Hugh DeLong Paul includes many instructions on living as a disciple. Some we tend to emphasize more than others, but they are all inspired by God. I find the most difficult ones to follow are the ones that don't fit my personality or abilities. I know I am not\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":55563,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-church-will-never-be-the-same\/","url_meta":{"origin":70566,"position":3},"title":"The Church Will Never Be the Same","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 7, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"by Bob Plunket via The Sower, Vol. 54, No. 3, May\/June 2009. Several years ago, Time Magazine carried an article, with the caption, \"The Church Will Never Be The Same,\" because, they say, \"The baby boomers are coming back to church.\" The article said among other things, \"These returnees are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2005\/11\/hippies-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":69657,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-going-to-church-still-matter\/","url_meta":{"origin":70566,"position":4},"title":"Does Going to Church Still Matter?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 5, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Clay Stauffer Adapted Pew Research has been tracking trends in America for many decades. Some of the most recent data is very eye-opening, if not alarming. In 2024, roughly 30% of Americans say they attend church regularly, loosely defined as once a month. Less than 50% of Americans now\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6988,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/are-there-passages-that-refer-to-the-lords-supper\/","url_meta":{"origin":70566,"position":5},"title":"Are there passages that refer to THE Lord’s Supper?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 2, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: We have been studying the Lord's supper issues and one of our main concerns is about a second offering in which only a few partake, for the reasons you listed in your article (not doing it together). We have been questioning the idea of everyone taking it a second\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70566","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70566"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70566\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70566"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70566"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70566"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}