I recently found myself taking a trip down memory lane, and it was with a profound sense of wonder that I realized just how far my life had come over the past several years. Challenges which at one time seemed insurmountable were now distant memories, and the catalogue of triumphs and celebrations was simply heart warming.
I’d been so wrapped up in my current struggles and anxious about those things for which I’m seeking solutions, that the myriad reasons to smile sort of caught me off guard.
It’s amazing how the trials we find ourselves in at the moment tend to fill our entire visage and block out memories of all things good. No wonder the Psalmist exhorts us to “bless the Lord…and forget not all His benefits” (Psalm 103:2) Forgetfulness seems to be the default setting for the human mind; we need to actively remember and take the time to thank God as we recount His blessings and goodness towards us.
In his devotional ‘An Attitude of Gratitude,’ Max Lucado wrote, “The grateful heart is like a magnet sweeping over the day, collecting reasons for gratitude. A zillion diamonds sparkle against the velvet of your sky every night. Thank you, God. A miracle of muscles enables your eyes to read these words and your brain to process them. Thank you, God. Your lungs inhale and exhale eleven thousand liters of air every day. Your heart will beat about three billion times in your lifetime. Your brain is a veritable electric generator of power. Thank you, God.”
Are you down during this season? Does it seem that everyone but you has a reason to give thanks? I encourage you to take the challenge given in the nursery rhyme we all know – count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
Be blessed,
R
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