Count your blessings

           What do you typically spend more of your time doing: praising or complaining?  Unfortunately I think most of us frequently focus on the latter.  Why it that?  I believe that we complain so much because it’s easier.  Complaining comes naturally.  It’s the natural inclination of the human heart to center itself on the things and in the places where it seems we have been slighted or treated unfairly. 

I could search the internet to support this theory of mine, but honestly, all I need to do is to look in my own mirror.  The weight of the world and the difficulties of life tend to weigh upon my heart like a sumo wrestler riding on an old pack mule.   And that causes me to get self-centered and defensive about what I feel are my own rights and what I deserve. 

But diagnosing this problem is only half of the battle.  It does me little good to simply recognize this corrupted position of my heart; I must take action against it.  So, how does one do that?  Through taking some sort medication or by letting TV carry us away to a far off land of make-believe?  While those may bring temporary relief, they simply just mask the condition that has infected our spirit.  After much contemplation in my own life, the only true remedy is to allow my thoughts to be engulfed in the mercies of God that are expressed to me each day.

Too often I pop up out of bed in a zombie-like state, oblivious to the world around me.  I throw back the warm blankets, place my feet on the manicured carpet, flip the switch to send electricity streaming to the bulb in the lamp, and raise the handle on the faucet to allow the cool water to flow.  I forget that there are people in distant lands that cannot even imagine these modern conveniences.  Later, after dressing myself in the proper attire, I walk out of the front door of my home, push a button that gives me access to the multiple thousand dollar vehicle I “own”, drive confidently to my destination, and join with others in the daily dose of bitterness that seems to have overwhelmed our culture.  Throughout the day I will overlook the beautiful sky, the sweet tune of the birds, the refreshing air that inflates my lungs, and the affectionate touch of friends and family who care for me. 

You and I are so blessed; and we don’t realize the full depth of the Father’s love for us!!  If I were to list all the blessed goodness of the Lord in my life, hundreds of pages could not contain it!  If we were to grasp the infinite grace of God in our lives, our response would be like that of the angels in Isaiah 6:3, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory."

To focus on our blessings more than our struggles is simply a choice; and not an easy one.  To continually gripe and complain appeals to our fallen nature and gives us a release from our struggles, but it will never refill our souls.  It empties us and leaves us bitter and defeated.  But as we return our blessings to the Lord in praise, what we find is a never ending stream of mercy that floods our soul and drowns out our pitiful cry of self-righteousness.  Praise may not remove all of our obstacles, but it will give us the strength to overcome them.

You are blessed; be a blessing to others.

Pastor Paul