“Thanks for your Amazon order of 10,000…”

That’s what I saw on the lock screen of my phone among the list of subject lines of emails I’d missed earlier that day.

10,000 what!?!  I could just imagine that some terrible person had hi-jacked my amazon account, picked an outrageously expensive item, and ordered 10,000.  What on earth was I in for?

I could only imagine the doorbell ringing with my UPS delivery of 10,000 Apple watches, 10,000 bluetooth shower speakers, or 10,000 pairs of women’s yoga pants… I had already decided to call Amazon and straighten this out.  “I didn’t order this stuff and I can’t afford to pay for it!” I would say.

All these thoughts flashed through my mind while I nervously fumbled around trying to unlock my phone to read the entire email.  When I finally unlocked the screen, what I read made me smile in relief.  The message expressed Amazon’s appreciation for my order of “10,000 Reasons,” a digital music file of Matt Redman’s contemporary Christian hit.  I’d forgotten that I’d purchased the song the previous evening.  In case you’re not familiar with the song, it has a line that speaks of the 10,000 reasons our hearts should find to bless the Lord.

While profoundly relieved to know that I wasn’t obligated to pay for 10,000 items ordered from Amazon, I couldn’t help but realize that maybe this was a message from God to me about my habit of ingratitude.  Nothing on Amazon’s entire site is as valuable as the blessings God has given me.  I did nothing to earn them.  Even the things I’ve “worked for” still came to me direct from a God who loves me enough to let me keep them.  Why, then, am I not overwhelmed by the magnitude of blessings God ships to my door everyday?  I didn’t order God’s blessings, and it’s definitely true that I can’t pay for them.

[bctt tweet=”Consistent blessings have a way of turning into expectations.”]

The sad truth is that I’ve grown accustomed to taking God’s grace for granted.  It’s funny that when we become accustomed to a blessing it becomes an expectation.  Because of God’s grace, I’m a rich kid—at least rich in the things that matter most.  And all it takes is a little ingratitude to turn a rich kid into a spoiled brat.  I don’t want that to be me.  I want to stay overwhelmed… in a good way.

[bctt tweet=”I want to stay overwhelmed… in a good way.”]