Blessings Abound
By Hannah Rodgers
A cornucopia is a symbol of plenty and bountiful blessings, and for good reason. The first part of the word ‘cornu’ means horn and ‘copia’ means plenty in Latin; put together the word literally means a horn of plenty. In fact, its origin goes all the way back to ancient Greece. Now, the cornucopia is used around Thanksgiving as a decoration and reminder of all the blessings we should be thankful for. Usually the cornucopia is pictured with food overflowing as a sign of a bountiful harvest. This got me thinking about what would be in my cornucopia if I were to make one to show all the blessings I have been given this year.
Now don’t get me wrong, I’m sure food would play a large part in what would pour out, but the Lord has given me so many valuable things: family, friends, stability, safety, ice cream, adequate clothing, my cats, pizza, coffee, cozy socks, and, of course, the love of a Savior that I did nothing to deserve. All these things are important to me and God knew that when He placed them in my life. I then took a look around my life and thought about how the Lord has moved and left blessings everywhere, especially at Haven of Rest.
The Mission has been bountifully blessed. Haven of Rest has relied solely on voluntary contributions since 1943 when the doors first opened. That means the Mission takes no government funding whatsoever. God has drawn people to give to the Mission, sometimes out of their own need, just to make sure His ministry here continues to change lives. As it says in John 10:2, though God has faithfully provided a plentiful harvest the workers are far fewer than those in need. Meaning, God has blessed the Mission to be open for over 74 years, but people in our community continue to rely on Haven of Rest, and God’s provision, to help meet their immediate needs for food, shelter, and clothing, as well as meeting their long-term needs of a relationship with God, education and other classes, and help sustaining a lifestyle free of life-controlling issues.
My prayer request this time is two-fold: Please praise the Lord for all of the blessings the Mission receives, but also pray for the many men, women and children in our communities who are in desperate need. Next time you see a cornucopia, try to remember how the Lord has filled your life with blessings and how He can use you to bless others this holiday season.
