Count your blessings. Really, do it. Pause here, make your list, and then continue reading after you are done.
(I put this cute picture here for you to look at while you make your list.)
Ok, do you have it? Did you put any of this on your list?
- My family
- My significant other/spouse
- My friends
- My faith
- My job
- My home
- My car
- My education
- My freedom in my country
- My health
- My pets
- My food
- My clothes
I put some of these things on my list. Isn’t it incredible to sit down and realize how much you have to be thankful for?
All of this is fine and dandy, but I have some questions to ask. If someone has more on their list than you, does it mean they are a better person? Has God blessed them more than you? What happens when one of the things on this list suddenly disappears? Will we still be thankful? Will we still be blessed?
We have an idea ingrained in our minds that blessings are things—possessions, relationships, and rewards. We sometimes teach our kids that when they behave, they will be rewarded. And when they are not being rewarding, they are not behaving well.
So as we grow up, we expect the same. We say, “Oh, I’m not really accomplishing anything important and getting recognition, so I must be doing something wrong.” Or we think, “God, I am obeying you… so why can’t I find a boyfriend?!”
My friends, I’m afraid the way our society works is not the way God works. We hear all the time that if we chase after God with all of our hearts, he will give us what we need. So, we ask, why hasn’t he given us that perfect job? Or opportunity? Or friendship? Or a relationship? Or a beautiful home? Or a cure for our sickness?
Maybe it’s because God knows us better than we know ourselves. If we chase Him with all of our hearts, He will give us exactly what we need. He will give us peace. He will give us joy. He will give us hope. He will give us patience. He will give us compassion. He will give us strength. It’s not a possibility, it’s a promise.
This Thanksgiving, it’s time to look at your blessings in a different way. Yes, it is wonderful to be thankful for what you have and the people you have in your life, but if we confine our gratitude lists to these things, we will be missing something super important. When we ask for God to be present, He will be, and then nothing else matters.
I adore this quote from Carl Lentz: “The peace and fulfillment of Jesus is literally so good that your bank account can be empty, your body be sick and your heart be broken, but it can always be well with your soul.”
When we let the power of Christ in our hearts, who cares how many bullet points we have on our list!!!! His grace will sustain us for eternity. This is so good. I could write about it forever, but I will leave you with what Paul wrote in Philippians 4:11-13:
“I am not saying this because I am in need for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation. Whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
