God gives us so many blessings all the time…. Seriously, even if we don’t always recognize the blessings and see them.  Pride can surely get in the way of those blessings. 

My church has been blessed blessed blessed blessed blessed musically.  We have more than enough singers, musicians, songwriters, everything that has to do with music.  Which means, naturally, there are too many applicants, and not enough roles to fill, so some of the musicians have been pushed to the back-burner for some time.  And we have been overlooked.  Well one of the backburners had a chance, playing for one of the groups.  Because one of the main musicians weren’t available.  But When that main musician was available again, he was gone for a bit.  And when he was invited back as backup (which is what he had been doing in the first place), he declined, taking the opportunity as an insult and left the church, out of his own hurt, and to prevent pain in his family by the members of the church.

My story in this church as a musician is pretty much the same.  In my mind, I was rejected.  But a lot of stuff has been going on and things have been changing, and I have been “drafted” into the music team of my church by my grandfather, thank God.  But it wasn’t because I was good, it was because I was available when someone else wasn’t there.  Instead of seeing insult, I saw the blessing God was providing for me, and I accepted it.

And because I did not let my pride get in the way, people know that when this person isn’t available, and that person isn’t available, I am waiting on the backburner, and now, more and more, because of my lack of pride in this area, I have been pushed into the forefront because “once again, Nathan comes through, because he’s dependable; he’s just that kind of guy.”  This is what an uncle said to me, because I was there to play when I was needed.  I thank God for it.

Because now, people see me, they congratulate me, and they support me, because not only was I willing to wait in the background for GOD to provide opportunity, instead of me pushing myself into the spotlight, but I was able to see and accept the blessing, even when it didn’t come the way I initially had hoped.  The pride… it’s not a good thing.  And I thank God for giving me the eyes to see a blessing for a blessing, and not an insult for a blessing.