Count Your Blessings

 

“Praise the LORD, call upon His name; Declare His deeds among the peoples, Make mention  that His name is exalted. Sing to the LORD, For He has done excellent things; This is known in all the earth.” Isaiah 12:4-5

Hey Gang, as you end this difficult year, look back and count your blessings. Hard to remember? Prepare for remembering in 2022.  Watch for God to do great things in the New Year. Write them down and put them in a blessings jar or box. Reread at the end of each month.  Be alert to the little things and big things that God is doing for you and your family.

Growing up we sang “Count Your Blessings, one by one.”  (Sometimes we changed it to Count your blessings ton by ton!) We can even count our blessings when in the middle of difficult times.

This from December 28 of Mornings with Jesus.  It shows how creative one person was in gathering friends to celebrate God’s blessings. (We don’t all have a pool but don’t hesitate to share your creative ideas.)

“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  John 10:10 (NIV)

Last year my friend Mary Ellen decided to host a “Swell Life” party.  She gathered our close-knit community together to celebrate the blessings of the past year.  We spent the day biking, riding paddle boards, and other fun activities.  Then we met in the evening and shared dinner.  After dinner, we gathered around her pool, and she handed us each a white tea candle to place on a floating flower.  After lighting our candles and thinking about one thing we were thankful for that year, we each places our candle on the water.  I thought about how Jesus came to give us abundant life, including gratefulness for this community of people God had put in my life.

We stood around the pool, holding hands, watching the glimmering, floating candles meander around and mix together. One my right was my husband, Zane, who had survived intense hip-replacement surgery.  He has a bleeding disorder, so it was a complicated procedure.  On my left was my friend who was in the midst of battling a rapidly spreading cancer. Across from me stood a young, smiling, recently engaged couple. I don’t know what everyone else was thinking because we all had different experiences, some heart-wrenching and some joy-filled, yet we stood together and gave thanks.

After a few minutes of silence, another friend prayed out loud to conclude our time.  Music started playing, we released our hands, and I spent the evening celebrating the swell, abundant life Jesus gives to those who love Him.                             ____Jeannie Blackmer

Faith step: Gather your family this week for your own simple “Swell Life” Party and have everyone share how Jesus had helped them live their life to the fullest.

Sooo, family and friends, good idea  - to praise God for his faithfulness in the past difficult year and watch for His blessings daily in this New Year of 2022.

Blessings and Happy New Year

Gma J