Counting Your Blessings

Counting Your Blessings

Be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:24

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” Poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning had it right when she wrote those lines. When we’re in love, we count all the little things we love about the other person.

Maybe you can remember the earliest days of a courtship when every glance, hug, or kiss seemed thrilling. You never tired of the other person. You thought about him or her when you were alone, and you only wanted more of the same as you grew more deeply in love

This is the kind of enthusiasm we should have for our Lord. We need to stop and count all the blessings he has given us. If we can count all the cute smiles on our lover’s face, why can’t we count the times the Lord has done something to make us smile? If we can gaze longingly into our lover’s eyes, why can’t we gaze lovingly at nature and appreciate the tiniest details of our Father’s creation?

Too often, we don’t even notice the things that God has done for us or the blessings he has placed in our path. But even on those rare occasions when we do, we’re more likely to attribute them to luck or coincidence.

Why is it that we interpret every positive signal from our love interest as an expression of his or her love, but we assume that every signal from our Lord is merely an accident of timing?

When we care enough to count the blessings God has bestowed on us, we learn to see with new eyes all the little things he’s done for us. Over time, I have taught myself to recognize his subtle nudges just as well as when I recognize the ways that Karen looks at me and I know what she’s thinking.

We may refer to our partner as our soul mate, but there is only one for whom our souls truly cry out—Jesus, our Lord and Savior, who created us, blessed us, and loves us unconditionally.

TODAY’S RX

Today, stop long enough to thank the one who created you, and ask him to help you perceive his other blessings as well.

Jesus, thank you for lavishing your love on me and blessing me with your beautiful creation. I am in awe of all you’ve done. Help me to have a grateful heart throughout my day.