Count Your Blessing – Not Your Burdens

I was passing by a little church on my drive to work a few weeks ago when I noticed that the sign out front said “Count your blessings, not your burdens”.  As my former boss used to say, “That’ll preach!”  Actually an entire sermon was preached on that church sign!! 

Remember the words to that old hymn:  Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your many blessings see what God hath done.  I hope that we all take the time each day to count our many blessings and not focus on our burdens.  I want to focus on the many, many blessings that God has bestowed upon me and not dwell on earthly worries and hurts.   I hope to never take the blessings God has given me for granted. 

Here are just a few of my many blessings:

·    I am a Christian saved by grace through Jesus!

·    My wonderful parents who showed me early in life what it means to be truly loved.   

·    My husband, Jon

·    Seth, my angel, who is such a smart, happy, well-adjusted little boy.  Being a mom has been the most incredible blessing of my life!

·    Anita, my sister and best friend

·    Our family is healthy – My dad is getting better every day!

·    Our home, a haven from everyday stresses.  I am always thankful for my home, but I am even more so when I see the tragedies that occurred throughout the southeast last week.  My heart breaks for those whose homes were lost in the terrible storms. 

·    Cherished friendships - Where would I be without the gift of friendship?  I am so thankful to my dear friends who are like sisters to me.   

·    Jon and I both have great jobs – that is such a wonderful blessing in this economy!  I feel like I have the best job in the world!  Even on stressful days, it is a joy to work with such wonderful people!

·    My boss is a good, kind, Christian man who truly cares for the students, parents, and employees of our school district.

·    Living in the USA - watching the news each day from around the world reinforces how blessed I am to live in this wonderful country. 

·    God has seen our family through some really tough times and he continues to watch over us every day! 

I recently heard an individual speak about what it would be like if God took away from us blessings for which we did not give thanks – what would our lives be like?  What if we could no longer walk, speak, or hear because we did not give thanks for those abilities?  What if God removed food, clothing and shelter, something that we oftentimes take for granted, if we didn’t thank him for these blessings daily?  Help me, oh Lord, to give thanks for all blessings, big and small, each day!