Dericka Canada Cunningham, GBW Founder
August 12, 2024
This Week's Anchor
“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,
"But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit."
Jeremiah 17:7-8 (NIV)
My mother and I recently became huge fans of golden kiwis. It’s a random and menial thing to admit, but in discovering this hidden gem of fruit, God delivered some timely inspiration that is too good not to share. So, walk with me on our journey to golden kiwis…
The botanical endeavor began a couple of months ago as I perused the produce section of my local grocery store. Kiwis have always been a favorite fruit of mine, and they typically find their way to my weekly grocery list. As I went to grab my usual pick, I noticed a sign that stated, “golden kiwis.” I’ve probably passed this sign a hundred times over the past several years, but for some reason, on this day, I was curious. As I examined the fruit, packaging, and label, many questions and thoughts came to mind: “What the heck are golden kiwis? How are they different than regular kiwis? Are they sweeter or more sour? Is it really worth me switching it up? I should probably just stick to what I know.” As I began placing the package down, a quiet yet adventurous voice within me whispered, “Just try them.” So, in the spirit of living on the fruitful edge, I placed those bad boys in my basket and made my way through the store. As I packed my lunch the following day, I recalled my curious purchase and was eager to explore this fancy fruit for breakfast. When I finally tried it, I couldn’t believe how delicious it was, and I was impressed at the upgrade that kiwi made by being golden (cue Jill Scott). I was so excited that I shared the discovery with my mom, who later purchased her own at her local grocery store and joined the golden kiwi bandwagon right with me. My mother and I joked in conversation about how we almost missed our Kiwi blessing, and as I thought about all the times I noticed them at the store and passed them up, God spoke to me and reminded me of how we often miss (and dismiss) spiritual blessings in the same way.
It’s a random inspiration for a Divine message, but a meaningful one, nonetheless. Although my story is lighthearted and about grocery produce, many of us can recall moments in our lives where we passed up (or graciously almost passed up) a blessing from God because we were not open to being blessed in a way different than we expected. How often does God speak to us like my internal adventurous voice, asking us to “Just trust Him” amid our unwillingness to place our faith in His Provision? Our anchor scripture illustrates the impact of passionately trusting God. We are incredibly blessed through our trust in God. And with trust, we are deeply rooted and tethered to God in a way that makes it impossible to miss God and all the beauty that comes with being connected to Him.
I compassionately call us in because we are human, for kiwi’s sake. There are many reasons why we miss God and our blessings, and it’s essential that we explore these within ourselves humbly and honestly. Thankfully, there are also things we can be mindful of to address these barriers to our blessings.
A Few Reasons We Miss/Dismiss Divine Blessings
We are blocked by anxiety and fear—Anxiety is rooted in the sobering reality that we are not in control and that the future is unknown. It can be scary to relinquish our (mis)perceived control and entrust our hearts' desire with God.
We are too stubborn to try something different—Many of us are so comfortable in what we know that we aren’t willing to risk being offered something better.
The blessing doesn’t look like a blessing on the outside—God is a clever orchestrator of blessings in disguise, but our misjudgment can often get in the way.
We aren’t honest with ourselves regarding what we need—If we don’t believe we need something or that a particular thing, person, or place can benefit us, we are less likely to receive it/them.
We aren’t open to God’s creativity—God can move and bless us through anyone and anything, but when we place God in a box, we restrict our ability to receive God’s Divine ingenuity.
We are too stressed and overwhelmed to notice—When we are distracted and overloaded, it can be hard to be present with God and what He has to offer us.
…Consider and reflect on your unique reasons that can be listed here…because we each have our own barriers to catching God’s unique blessings
A Few Things that Can Help Us Catch Divine Blessings
Slowing down and noticing—This will forever be the message and call of GBW because it is nearly impossible to hear from God when we are overextended and lost in the chaos of everything around us. We can find simple ways to slow down in our everyday lives: from giving ourselves more time to prepare for the day to decreasing our pacing between one thing and the next to taking the time to read more about golden kiwis at the grocery store, the opportunities for being more present are endless.
Inviting a posture of openness in our lives—Our practice of openness can begin with our everyday conversations with God. We can lead our prayer lives with a degree of receptiveness that allows us to hear from God more clearly. For instance, instead of solely praying to God with demands, we can set aside time for prayers that are entered with space, moving from showing up to prayer with a list to coming to God with a blank page, ready to receive Divine inspiration.
Challenging our assumptions about how God can bless us and what package blessings might come in—There is no blessing too small and no package too damaged to not meaningfully impact our lives if God has called it/them to.
Welcoming and encouraging God’s creativity—If you are willing to hear God in unique ways, trust me, He will speak and move in your life (even through golden kiwis)
Connecting with folks to hold us accountable—Sometimes, others can notice our reluctance better than we can, and at times, God may speak through others to deliver messages we can’t hear on our own. Being in a community with other Christ-followers who are grounded in a relationship with God can help move us toward God’s purpose for us.
All in all, the vehicle for catching the blessings of God’s Divine will is our trust in Him. When we pause our hectic lives and lean on the Holy Trinity with open and humble hearts, we invite and excite God’s provision and purpose in our lives. Wherever we are on our spiritual journey, I pray that we enter this week with our eyes, ears, and hearts open to the creative ways God can bless us. No matter the package or the reservations, may we try the “golden kiwis”.
Reflection
What is resonating for you about this scripture and/or this devotion?
What do you need from the Holy Trinity to help you be open to the creative ways God may bless you?
What intention(s) do you want to set to connect and/or reconnect with being grounded this week?
Related Scriptures to Ground You Through this Week
Numbers 6:24-26
Proverbs 16:20
Romans 8:38-39
2 Corinthians 9:7-8
Ephesians 1:3-6
Philippians 4:6-9
My Through-the-Week Reflection Guide
A Song of Inspiration
Quote of Love & Liberation
“I did my best, and God did the rest.”
Hattie McDaniel
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