Count Your Blessings (10/17/2025)

I gave myself a challenge yesterday – “count your blessings.” I promised myself that every time I realized I’d been blessed, I’d make a note and silently utter a “thank You.” Can you guess how it went?

If you guessed that I nearly wore out my “thank You” ticker, you’d be right. In the first hour of being awake, I thanked the LORD for:

·       Waking up

·       A coffee pot that works

·       The means to buy coffee that tastes great

·       My home with a prayer porch

·       The hush of dawn

·       The sense of being in the presence of my LORD

·       The tiny squirrel with barely a tail that reminded me that few of us are perfect

·       The sound of the wind

My day was full, and my “thank You” ticker kept ticking upward. I found myself giving thanks for so many things, realizing that with each recognized blessing, my eyes opened wider and my heart grew. The more I recognized my blessings, the more blessed I realized I was. By the end of the day, I had racked up over 100 blessings for which I uttered a “thank You.”  By the end of the day, my sense of the LORD’s power and presence operating in my life had increased exponentially. Gratitude shaded my lens rosier than they’d been in a while.

I’d like to challenge you to give it a try. Set a “Count Your Blessings” Day and start counting. Keep track of how many times you utter “thank You” to the heavens. See what effect it has on you. See if it opens your eyes to wonders you’d walked by, conveniences you took for granted, people whom the LORD has brought into your life that make a difference. See if being intentional about gratitude actually escalates your sense of being blessed.

Jesus made a big deal about the Samaritan leper who returned to give thanks and the nine who did not. That gospel reading inspired me to challenge myself. And now I think I understand what an ingrate I’ve been about so many gifts the LORD has spread before me. Try the challenge and see if it changes the way you see life and the LORD’s presence and gifts and graces given to you in any given day.

Until tomorrow, let us all love well.