Remember the song "Count Your Blessings"? I used to sing it as a child in church, but it seems as if it has been years since I last heard it. Why is that, I wonder? Is the advice offered in the song no longer valid? Have we become so focused on what we don't have that we have forgotten to be grateful for what God has given us?
Sometimes I feel like a child with my hand always stretched out to God. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! But God has already supplied all that I really need over the years - food, family, shelter, and so much more - and though harder times may come, I have full confidence that He will continue to take care of me. So why do I fret over the creature comforts I don't have instead of enjoying the ones He has already provided for me?
The answer lies in the fact that many of us live in a perpetual state of ingratitude towards God. Oh, we may be very happy that we've been saved, but do we truly take the time to reflect for very long on what that gift cost God? We may enjoy the good things in our lives, but do we ever stop and consider the truth of the statement that all good things come from God in the first place? The very fact that I can write these words and you have the ability to read them is a direct result of God's provision. How long has it been since we have slowed down long enough to sit and meditate on the awe-inspiring truth that the God of the universe loves little you and me so much that He is willing not only to listen to us but to also take care of our needs?
Living with a grateful, contented heart is so much more comforting than living with one's hand always stretched out for more.
The psalmist says, “In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul.” But I am afraid that among the multitude of our thoughts within us there are far too often many more thoughts of our own discomforts than of God’s comforts. We must think of His comforts if we are to be comforted by them. It might be a good exercise of soul for some of us to analyze our thoughts for a few days, and see how many thoughts we actually do give to God’s comforts, compared with the number we give to our own discomforts. I think the result would amaze us!
--from The God of All Comfort by Hannah Whitall Smith..
1 comments:
Oh, I love this post! You hit the nail on the head. I came to see this same thing and renewed my desire to be more grateful, and to really look to all the blessings of God in my life - and they are far too many to count! Thanks for confirming what I already know - we need grateful hearts! God bless you.
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