A woman I met some years ago showed me the value of finding God by counting your blessings. I had spent years feeling sorry for myself after an unwanted divorce. I was so focused on the problem I missed the gift peeking from behind it.
Anna, however, could see what I could not. She suggested I start a ‘blessing basket’ to hold little slips of paper with a small prayer of gratitude written on each one. “Record one experience or event each day,” she said. “After a time open and reread them. You’ll be surprised to see what God has done.”
I practiced her advice for many months. Then on Thanksgiving Day of that year my new husband and I emptied the basket and read the papers with tears in our eyes. Anna was right. If we had not written down our daily gifts we’d have missed them entirely. A beautiful sunset. A raise at work. A visit with an old friend. An illness healed. A letter of apology. On we went, humbled by the simple and loving ways God had healed our hearts and replaced sadness and regret with joy and peace.
Nineteenth century American writer Minna Antrim put it this way. “Gratitude is the rosemary of the heart.” And the Psalmist said: “I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving” (Psalm 69:30 The Bible).
Finding God by counting your blessings is a sure way to turn a life of grumbling into one of gratitude.
Check this video on YouTube for a beautiful song of thanksgiving.
