Count your many blessings, name than one by one……and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done!

Count your blessings! Yes it’s an old hymn  with wonderful words. Yes it’s a productive activity to do, but have you ever done it? Just sat down and grabbed  a notebook and started writing? I had a thought today. There are so many negative thoughts and worries swirling through my mind. What about writing them down in black and white? Then when I  was done, and yes there were many problems and worries on my list, I thought ok now I’m going to write down all my blessings. This is what I found: my list of problems had an end but my list of blessings was literally endless. I just couldn’t stop remembering back through a lifetime of memories, just filled with the blessings of God.

If you just go through one day and be conscious of all your blessings you will be amazed. We take so much for granted and never pause and give thanks to the One who gives us breath each day.

I’m recovering from surgery and I’m in pain. If I focus on that it doesn’t take long to start thinking negative thoughts and wishing I didn’t have to go through this 14th surgery. However, on the flip side, I can start counting my blessings! The pain will come to an end, the tumor is gone, there are skilled surgeons to help us, the surgery is over, spring is around the corner, the sun is actually shining today (unlike the usual gloomy days), my God is still on His throne of mercy and grace providing everything I need……yes my list could go on and on.

When something bad happens to us we immediately view it as a trial and a hardship. We fail to see the sun shining behind the clouds. Maybe that car accident was for our good! Maybe our car was going to have an issue and we got a new one due to the accident? Maybe we connected with someone through the aftermath that the Lord wanted us to meet. God’s ways and thoughts are definitely so much higher than ours and we might never know in this life why things happen. He certainly doesn’t owe us an explanation.

I have found that the more I question what God is doing, the farther I feel from His presence. He never asked me to reason things out but just to obey. I believe God has grateful children who respond with praise and thanksgiving, come what may!

It doesn’t matter what you’re going through, you need to count your blessings. If you truly sit down and start making a list, you will be astonished at how much you are blessed and how many things God is doing that you don’t even recognize. When you wake up in the morning, He protected you through the night. He provided a place to sleep and food to eat, shelter from the physical as well as mental storms. I could go on and on. I believe it’s a healthy exercise to count your blessings and it will make you feel clear headed and grateful when you’re finished.