Often I forget to be grateful for the things I take for granted. This morning at my home in Colorado it’s 15 degrees (F) outside, but I sit at my desk nice and toasty. I type on a fantastical machine and my internet blazes. When I’m hungry I’ll go to my kitchen and find plenty to eat.

None of this earns much thought, let alone gratitude. But all that I have comes from the hand of the Lord, and it does my soul good to remember these every day kindnesses.

Laban duped Jacob into marrying both his daughters. Jacob favored Rachel, his first love, over her sister Leah. But as life settled in, the Lord blessed Leah with children, while Rachel remained barren.

Leah named her first son Reuben, which means see, a son! Then came Simeon, meaning heard, since the Lord heard her in her place of disregard. Next arrived a third son, and since Leah felt this child would bond her husband to her, she named him Levi, or attached. Finally, a fourth son was born and Leah said, This time I will praise the Lord. She called his name Judah, or praise.

Four sons into a marriage of convenience. Leah saw the first three as means to show her worth, to draw Jacob toward her and away from her sister. But with Judah’s arrival, Leah realized that the blessings in her life came not from the ebb and flow of her husband’s attention, but from the hand of God.

The descendants of Judah formed a powerful clan. Kings David and Solomon were born into the tribe. Jesus is known as the Lion of Judah, the title a symbol of his role as the King and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. We should not find it trivial that the Son of God was born from the line of an unloved wife.

Leah had no idea what the future held. She simply learned to thank God for his gifts when she received them. I don’t know the future either. But I can join Leah and thank God for the gifts I receive every day.

Genesis 29

Photo by Darrien Staton

A blind beggar made such a fuss that despite not seeing him, Jesus requested the man brought forward through the crowds. Jesus asked him directly, What do you want me to do for you?

The man answered, Rabbi, let me recover my sight. To which Jesus responded, Go your way; your faith has made you well. Bartimaeus, seeing sunshine on the face of his Savior, decided to follow Jesus on the way.

What do you want me to do for you?

If Jesus looked into my eyes and asked me the same question, how would I answer? Success? A well-funded future? Adventure? Health? Growing and fulfilled family?

Jesus is no mere genie, and his question doesn’t open a magic lamp holding unlimited wishes. There are no guarantees. But it remains a good idea to ponder. What do I want Jesus to do for me?

One answer would be the ability to observe the world accurately, to discern with the wisdom of the Lord. To see, just a tiny bit, as God sees. God granted wisdom to Solomon all those years ago, so perhaps He might turn some my way.

Regardless, it’s a challenging query from Jesus for you and me to consider—What do you want me to do for you?

Mark 10:46-52

Photo by Isabella Mann Machado

Often snippets of insight lie buried in the genealogical sections of the Bible (I refer to these passages as “begats”). In one such list we discover that after the death of Abraham, his son Isaac settled at a place called Beer-lahai-roi. Why is this significant?

Beer-lahai-roi translates to the well of the living one who sees me. Hagar, pregnant with Abraham’s child, ran away from the harsh treatment of Abraham’s barren and jealous wife Sarah (later the mother of Isaac). An angel of the Lord found Hagar by this spring and blessed her pregnancy. In response Hagar called on the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”

So why did Isaac choose to make this place his home many years later? Perhaps the area was beautiful and supported grazing herds? He certainly heard about Hagar’s encounter with God (not from his mother, who remained jealous of Hagar and eventually banished her and her son). But Hagar or Ishmael or someone else in his community repeated the story of divine interaction.

A spring where an angel of the Lord appeared carried special significance. Isaac heard how the Lord revealed himself to his father and mother as well as Hagar. Perhaps Isaac wanted the Lord to see him? So why not move to a place where it happened before?

Like Isaac, I want the Lord to see me. I pray that God understands my life, the situations I face, my fears and hopes and desires. We all want to be known, and we all share the desire of Isaac to hear from the Lord.

Hagar put her trust in the living one who sees me. Isaac moved his family and entourage of servants and livestock to a place where he believed the living one might see him. He learned that location doesn’t matter so much, as he eventually heard from the Lord elsewhere. But an attitude of seeking does matter—You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart (Jeremiah 29:13).

May you and I seek as well. Strive to meet the Lord by praying and reading the Scriptures and lifting your eyes. I pray we gain the confidence to realize that the living one who sees still watches over you and me today.

Genesis 25:11 & 16:14

Photo by Kamil Kalkan

We sell ourselves too cheap.

In a challenging statement Jesus told a crowd of interested seekers, Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.

Choosing to follow Jesus carries a hefty price tag. Taking up a cross is akin to carrying an electric chair on your back. It was an instrument of death. You give up your life so that Jesus can take it and do with it as he will.

The trade-off cannot be more stark. In play is our eternal destiny. Jesus goes on the say, What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?

The idea of a soul appears quaint today. Thinkers claim we exist as purely physical beings, accidents resulting from impersonal forces acting over eons and eons. Humankind evolved as soulless beings.

But most suspect there’s more. Plethoras of religions and beliefs span human history. Every tribe and tongue and people group worshipped something, pointing to a deep-rooted need to connect with the divine. Our hearts cry out to reach our heavenly Father, whether we realize it’s him we need or not.

Don’t sell yourself too cheap.

Souls are created to worship. Yours is too exceptionally valuable to give away in exchange for wealth or popularity or success. Offer your soul to the Lord Jesus, and let our amazing God do with it as he will. Then you will enjoy an investment with unlimited returns.

Mark 8:34-38

Photo by Scottsdale Mint