Have you ever heard the song, “Count Your Blessings?”

It goes like this:

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.

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.]

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.

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 [*wealth can never buy]
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

This song was published in 1897 by Johnson Oatman Jr. It is as relevant today as it was over 120 years ago.

Gipsy Smith, a famous evangelist of yesteryear, said of the song, “Men sing it, boys whistle it and women rock their babies to sleep to it.”

Read more about the story behind the song here.

count your blessings

Photo Courtesy of FeeLoona on Pixabay

Gratitude Changes the Brain

A grateful brain can make you healthier and happier, according to this article in Psychology Today. An important point to realize is that gratitude is not comparing yourself with someone less fortunate. In order to actually become grateful, you must move a step beyond that and appreciate fully your own blessings.

To begin, write daily in a journal everything you are grateful for. I begin my day writing in my journal, which opens up the possibilities of all the good that God has for me.

In addition, studies from this article share that the brain can only focus so much. Focus on the negative pushes the positive away. The question to ask yourself is, “How do I want to feel this day?” 

Gratitude for your many blessings is a skill like any other. You have to practice, practice, practice. In due time, it will come naturally—like breathing or sleeping.

Life is Full of Miracles

In conclusion, life can be mundane at times, but also be full of miracles, as I wrote about here. Journal all the wonderful things in your life that seemed to appear out of the blue when God was taking care of you. Count your blessings, name them one by one!

Leave a comment below and describe your greatest blessings. I love to hear from you!

 

 

 

Penelope Silvers is a freelance writer, author,
and radio host of Penelope’s Book Chat on Blog
Talk Radio. She lives simply and sanely on Florida’s
beautiful nature coast.

Pin It on Pinterest