Count Your Blessing

It had been a rough week; nothing seemed to have gone right. Between frustrations at work, car trouble, every growing pile of bills, mounds of laundry, I was just overwhelmed. My plans for Saturday had all changed and items that needed to be completed still sat untouched. I was glad for Sunday and the normality it brings, and the encouragement I hoped to receive that morning. Yet, the singing didn’t uplift my weary soul, I was too grumpy to let others encourage me, and though the sermon was good but my mind had been too distracted to get the full meaning of it. I left service that morning much like I had come and was more frustrated with myself for not trying to get more out of it. That’s when a scripture came to my mind I Thessalonians 5:18.

“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

I realized I need to stop and count my blessings. It didn’t start off to good but it did get better…

“I thank God for my job though I’m frustrated with it, I do have a job. I thank God for my car, even though it guzzles gas, always seem to being having trouble, generally it gets be around very faithfully. I thank God for good health. Thank God for it being Sunday and I don’t have to work. Thank God for a church and a church building I can go too. Thank God for a country that allows religious freedom.” And on I went.

By the time I had arrived home my soul was uplifted and so encouraged! I stepped out of my car with a big smile and said out loud, “And thank God that I have a place I can call home!” I punctuated my sentence with closing my car door!

Oh how grand I felt! Almost instantly I seemed to hear a mocking laugh in my head, it was then I realized my mistake. Sitting inside my locked car sat my keys, and the Devil was laughing at me. Here I had finally encouraged myself in the Lord and I was back to my old state of mind. Locked out of my home, locked out of my car and what am I going to do. In my frustration, all the Devil did was laugh at me.

Again the scripture came to mind again, “In every thing give thanks:” Not in some things, not in just the happy or good things, but in EVERY THING. That means the bad times, sad times, and the frustrating times.

So I began again. “Well Thank God the car is not running. Thank God that I’m at least home and not in a strange place. Thank God for a lovely day and that it not raining or hot or something worst. Thank God for my cell phone I can call someone. Thank God that I have my purse with my id and money. Thank God for….” That is when I stopped. A smile came across my face and I said out loud, “And Devil this one is for you, Thank God that the other day I made a duplicate key for my car and left it in my purse!”

Count your Blessings,
Name them one by one
Count your Blessings,
See what God has done,
Count your Blessings
Name them one by one,
Count your many Blessing
See what God has done!