Discovering Your Blessings, even small ones

19 Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. 20 But the herders of Gerar quarreled with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek,[dispute] because they disputed with him. 21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.[opposition] 22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth,[room] saying, “Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land.” Genesis 26:19-22

In this passage, Isaac's servants discover a well of fresh water. In the middle of a harsh land, a source of fresh water would have been something to consider a great blessing, and having found it a miracle (however mundane) of God's grace. The passage goes on to describe how twice, this blessing was given to Isaac and his camp and twice the blessing was disputed by others. Isaac does something remarkable when the herders of Gerar quarrel with Isaac's servants: Isaac leaves the disputed wells and his servants seek out a different well. This displays two thought processes of Isaac's which we can apply to our own lives:

1) Isaac's actions, leaving the quarreled-over wells (blessings) to others and sending his servants to find a new well, indicate that Isaac had every faith that God would again provide him with the blessing of a well; one that was intended for Isaac.

2) Isaac sent his servants to move on from the disputed wells and find a new well for their camp. It may seem that the blessing God has brought into your life is exactly what you have been waiting for, but, it may be that you are only an avenue through which others will receive the blessing. You should not mourn the loss of "your" blessing, because as Isaac's story shows us, God will provide you with the blessing you need and when he does, there will be no doubts or quarrels accompanying it.

What seemingly "mundane" blessing have you encountered this week? Did someone let you in while commuting to work in the morning? Did you find that parking space you needed? Was the water pitcher filled when you came in from the heat of the day and needed a glass of water?