I have a much loved old hymn speaking grace into my soul this morning. Will you sing with me?
“Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.”
(words by Johnson Oatman)
One of the first things we learn to do as children is count. We practice and practice, learning to count higher and higher, and maybe there is a deeper wisdom in that than I had realized. Counting your blessings is a game changer, a perspective lifter, an eye-opener, a soul calmer, a smile inducer, and a peace infuser.
Sometimes, however, all I count are the “big” blessings – the ones that warm our hearts, fill our lives with joy, and brighten our days. Today, I want to encourage you to search out the blessings that may be a little more difficult to spot. These are the blessings that are wrapped in inconvenience, are tucked in a difficulty, or are hidden in a hard circumstance. I prefer my blessings to be wrapped in sunshine and topped with a bow, but the blessings that most deeply shape my heart are sometimes found in the things that require me to look beyond myself and surrender. It takes time, perspective, and maturity to search out these blessings, but when we find them, we see God’s hand and His heart in a whole new way.
My Jesus Resolution today is to count my blessings, all of my blessings. I want to keep my eyes open to all the ways God is present and working all around me. I want to be like a little child, counting higher and higher as I witness His wonders. I don’t want to miss the blessings that come in unconventional or uncomfortable packages. Today, let’s sing and count and number the mercies of our God.
Casandra Martin 
On my birthday a friend told me to count as many blessings as my age, which was 77. It didn’t take 2 minutes and I was still going. Now that my husband and I are facing a new era of our life, I will need to do this more often. My job is changing to caregiver, so this will be very helpful to me. Thanks! Thanks from your many timely messages that seem to fit what I need through the days and weeks of life. I share so many of them with different friends and family. I am Ann Hilgers (Larry Hilgers) Aunt Sara, so she has given me many of your postings until I got on the mailing list. See how families grow and intertwine? Date: Mon, 8 Jun 2015 10:36:00 +0000 To: sloh_@hotmail.com
…and it will surprise us to see what our God has done…especially in adversity, I’ll try to keep aware. Appreciate the blessed reminder, mrs. ana