Facing Life's Common Dilemmas: What We Already Have

 Facing Life’s Common Dilemmas: What We Already Have

We all have stories that shape who we are. For me, growing up in a typical Christian home meant attending church multiple times a week. Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday weren’t just days of the week; they were pillars of a faith system that revolved around gathering to receive blessings—salvation, healing, prophecy, and so much more. Church attendance wasn’t optional; it was seen as the key to receiving all God had to offer. Verses like Hebrews 10:25 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3 were used to reinforce the importance of attendance and warn against falling away.

But as I grew older, I started questioning this system. Why were we so focused on attending church to receive when scripture like Psalm 68:19 tells us that God already daily loads us with benefits? Were we missing something deeper?

This reflection became even more personal when I looked at my own family. My father’s life story taught me profound lessons about how we perceive ourselves and our relationships. He wasn’t just my father or even just a preacher; he was a man shaped by deep wounds. His life had been marked by a longing for acceptance from his own father, my grandfather. This longing defined much of who he was and affected how he lived. results of father wound

When my dad was just a teenager, he lived alone in Alabama after losing key family members. At 17, he moved to Pittsburgh, hoping to find belonging and acknowledgment from his father. Instead, he encountered rejection. My grandfather, influenced by his wife, didn’t fully embrace my dad as his son. That pain stayed with my father for decades, overshadowing his accomplishments and roles in life.

I used to judge my father harshly, believing he wasn’t a good pastor or father. But over time, I saw him differently—not as a flawed leader but as a wounded human being. His life wasn’t defined by his failures as a preacher or parent but by the unfulfilled need for his father’s acceptance. That unmet need kept him from fully stepping into the blessings God had already given him.

This realization shifted my perspective on life and faith. The church system I grew up in often emphasized what we needed to get from God, but what if we’ve already been given what we need? My dad’s story taught me that sometimes we’re so focused on receiving something we think we lack that we miss what’s already in our hands.

Psalm 68:19 reminds us that God’s blessings are inexhaustible. Every day, we’re loaded with benefits. They’re not something we have to chase or earn through attendance or rituals. They’re already ours.

So, what does this mean for us? It means we need to shift our mindset. Instead of striving to receive, we can live with gratitude for what we already have. Instead of looking for external validation, we can recognize the value and strength within us. And when we gather—whether in a church, with friends, or within our families—it should be to celebrate the blessings we already carry, not to chase after what we think we’re missing.

Life’s common dilemmas—family wounds, unmet expectations, the longing for more—can feel overwhelming. But we’re not empty-handed. God has already equipped us with everything we need to move forward. The challenge is to see it, embrace it, and live in the fullness of it. That’s how we truly overcome and grow.

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