When I was growing up in the church, we used to quite often sing a song called, “Count Your Blessings.” It goes something like this: “Count your blessings, name them one by one; Count your blessings, see what God hath done.”
I wonder how often we practice this rather than complaining about what we don’t have.
First, we need to acknowledge what we do have. If you are like most of us, our refrigerators usually are full and our cabinets are not empty. In other words, most of us have plenty to eat. If we eat out, there are plenty of choices. We usually have more clothes than we could possibly wear. We have clean water to drink and a warm bed to lie on at night.
On top of material things, we have freedom, friends, family and the opportunity to be in a relationship with God. One old Gospel artist wrote a song a few years ago that simply said, “Your blessings will out-number your troubles every time.”
Secondly, we need to acknowledge where our blessings come from. In Psalms 118, the word simply states, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.” Our blessings, whether we will admit it or not, come from God. James 1 tells us that, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” God gives us the ability to get up in the morning and the strength and mind to work.
The most important thing that our heavenly Father wants to do for us is to give us forgiveness, peace and eternal life.
The good news is that it is ours if we will humbly ask and decide to follow his Son, Jesus Christ.