Anchored... To Gratitude

DEVOTIONAL

It’s amazing how easy it is to follow our minds into a world of ungratefulness, comparison, and feeling like we don’t have “it.” I’m as guilty as anyone when it comes to worrying about things in life instead of recognizing God’s many gifts.

I grew up in a traditional church, singing the hymns written long ago. One in particular was “Count Your Blessings.”

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When upon life’s billows you are tempest-tossed,

When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,

Count your many blessings, name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.  

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Refrain:

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your blessings, see what God has done!

Count your blessings, name them one by one,

*Count your many blessings, see what God has done.

[*And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.]

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Are you ever burdened with a load of care?

Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?

Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,

And you will keep singing as the days go by.  [Refrain]

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When you look at others with their lands and gold,

Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;

Count your many blessings—money cannot buy

Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

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It’s interesting to me how the writer, in 1897, covered the same thought patterns that we find ourselves trapped in. I’ve found myself reflecting on the lyrics when I’ve been tempted to be discouraged, worried, or comparing myself with others. It’s not a coincidence that many verses in the Bible deal with worry and its many relatives.

CALL TO ACTION

I encourage you to make a list of the many gifts of God, daily, and watch your perspective and heart change.  Give thanks. Give thanks again.  

SCRIPTURE

“Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.” — Philippians 4:6-7 (The Message)