Count the Gifts!

I love the old song Count Your Blessings, which was written by Johnson Oatman, Jr. and published in 1897. It inspires me to count my blessings, and as I name them one by one, I'm always surprised at what God has done for me. The awareness of His love cheers me, especially on days when more things go wrong than go right.

Several years ago, my daughter gave me a copy of Ann Voskamp's wonderful book One Thousand Gifts. As I eagerly read it and began to list the "gifts" God had given me, my happiness and well-being increased significantly.

For four years, I rarely missed a day listing gifts and thanking Him for them. By the time I'd listed over 4,000 gifts, I slacked off on actually writing down my blessings because by that time the habit of noticing gifts was so well-formed in me that I felt I didn't need to physically list them.

However, if I'm feeling anxious or stressed, I sit down and take a look around. I thank God for the gifts I see, and for eyes with which to see them. I thank Him for the precious people He's placed in my life. I thank Him for the songs and books others have written that encourage me and teach me. Pretty soon, I'm calm and cheerful. Counting my blessings and praising God for His goodness to me has changed me even if my circumstances remain the same.