“Thanksgiving.”
“Count your many blessings, name them one by one and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”
The other night I was having trouble sleeping. Some people say that sleeplessness is a part of the aging process, but I am too young for that to be true, so there must have been another reason. Pretty soon I was having a real pity party. In my mind I was going through a long litany of problems and things that were wrong in my life. Then all of a sudden the words of a song I thought I had long forgotten came into my mind. Try as I would, I could not get those words out of my consciousness.
Those words were: “Count your many blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings, see what God has done.” I began to do that and pretty soon I realized just how much God has blessed me. The next thing I knew it was morning. When I awoke I wanted to finish my list. I soon realized it could not be finished. God’s blessings are really without number.
Maybe what I came to understand is the true meaning of what Thanksgiving really is. Beingthankful for the good things God gives us and not allowing the problems that we incur to become the things that control us and give us our identity. When we dwell entirely on the negative we lose sight of the positive.
By the way here are some things that topped my list:
- Jesus Christ – God loved me enough to send His One Begotten Son to be my savior.
- The beauty of creation – God looked at all God had made and indeed it was very good. (Genesis 1:31) That goodness has not been overcome.
- First Galax United Methodist Church – I am blessed to serve a church that loves the Lord and cares for one another.
- The portion of health I enjoy – my health problems are not nearly as bad as they could be.
- Family – I thank God for those who love, sometimes in spite of me.
I am also very thankful for friends, for our combined Worship Service, for our Future Committee who are looking at ways the church can improve over the years, and for my upcoming Retirement.
May we begin to count our blessings and realize just what God has done for us. May we do tis not just on the fourth Thursday of November, but each and every day we live.
-Richard
