Growing up in church, we picked up hymnals, turned to the page the song leader guided us to, and sang. One particular song I can still hear in my mind is “Count Your Blessings.”
How often do you stop and count your blessings?
Life bombards us with trials, unexpected situations, and even tragedy. But even with all that, is it possible to stop and give thanks to God for what we do have?
First Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus” (NLT).
This passage instructs on how to live and has some strong commands prefaced with ALWAYS and NEVER. And to be thankful IN all circumstance. Not FOR all circumstances.
Why? Because that is God’s will!
It’s easy to give thanks when things go our way. Or do we forget why we are experiencing the good life. And when things go bad, it’s easier to moan, groan, and complain. That’s the bent of our human nature.
Good news is that we can train ourselves to give thanks!
How do you train yourself? You just start doing it. Give thanks for the food you eat. Say thank you when someone opens the door for you. Say thank you to the cashier. Say thank you to the delivery man. Tell the Lord thank you that have clothes to wear.
My younger son was just a baby the first time someone taught me about giving thanks. I had a strong desire to be a stay-at-home mother but could not quit my job because of outstanding debt. I sold product as a side job and my up line told be about singing praise songs and giving thanks to God. Honestly, I did not comprehend it. But I started doing it anyway.
Through a process of five years of paying off debt, the Lord worked on my character and granted my heart’s desire to be a stay-at-home mom while living in a society that typically takes two-incomes. I will always give God thanks for giving that time for me to spend with my sons.
Through that process, I learned to cultivate an attitude of gratitude that when life dealt us some really tough blows—cancer diagnosis, tragic injuries, loss of family members, and my older son landing in prison. No matter what, I continued to express gratitude to God.
How often do you express gratitude no matter what is going on in your life?
Today I challenge you to take an inventory by counting your blessings and as you do, give thanks to God for those blessings you have in your life. If you already do this, then I challenge you to do it more. We always have something to be thankful for!
Happy Thanksgiving!
