Count Your Blessings

Please tell me you’ve seen the movie White Christmas. (If you haven’t, you absolutely must remedy it before New Year’s!) One of my favorite scenes – and songs – is when Bing Crosby and Rosemary Clooney (yep – George’s aunt) sing “Count Your Blessings.” 


When I’m worried and I can’t sleep, 

I count my blessings instead of sheep,

and I fall asleep, counting my blessings. 

When my bankroll is getting small,

I think of when I had none at all,

and I fall asleep counting my blessings.

I think about a nursery and I picture curly heads,

and one by one I count them

as they slumber in their beds.

If you’re worried and you can’t sleep

Just count your blessings instead of sheep

and you’ll fall asleep, counting your blessings.

And of course it reminds me of a similar song we sing at church service:

Count your blessings, 

Name them one by one,

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

They’re both sweet little songs and ones we’ve sung a lot over the years. But how often do we really do this? We’re often so caught up what’s wrong and needs to be fixed – or what we still don’t have – that we forget to number all the things that are RIGHT and what all we DO HAVE.

You know what happens when you start numbering something like blessings? You count higher and higher, often losing count, until at some point the happy realization hits you that you are BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE. (“And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”) Since it’s all-too-easy to forget how ridiculously BIG we are blessed, it’s our job to take hold of it, every single day, and thank God for even the tiny little joys in our lives. (Parking space right near the front? Cozy, rainy day when you can light a candle while you work? A random, funny text from a friend? There is no lack of blessings – ever. Even in the hard times.) 

Every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from the Father of lights, in which there is no variation, no shade of turning.

That’s one of my absolute favorite verses because I picture streams of light coming down from Heaven, pouring over us, bathing us in light ourselves. Light and love that we then can spread to others around us. God IS literally light and love and He obviously delights in giving us – His children – gifts of all kinds. Some physical, some intangible – things you can’t touch, but you can feel all the same. 

Of course, the biggest gift of all time is His own son, Jesus. If we didn’t have His cleansing power and Holy Spirit, nothing else in this life could make up for it. 

Grab a sheet of paper and a pen – then set a timer for 1 minute and name as many of your blessings as you can…

Count them – how many did you come up with?

Now using your list as a prompt, tell God what you’re thankful for today. Embellish – tell him WHY you are thankful. (Ex: “I’m glad I have tastebuds because chocolate is delicious” or “Thank you that my husband is so funny and makes me laugh every day” or “This December weather feels like spring! Thank you for giving us a little reprieve from the cold.”) It doesn’t need to be something with a bunch of thee’s and thou’s and sound all formal. Be reverent and respectful, but talk to Him genuinely and truthfully about the joys you’ve found in your little world today. You can either say it aloud or write it down on the back of this sheet, but be sure to take a few breaths and be in the moment.

To finish up today’s lesson, feel free to watch the song clip of Count Your Blessings from White Christmas >> https://youtu.be/DXKxazgio2s. There’s also a second video that I’m attaching – it’s one that made the rounds on Facebook in the last few years and I just loved it! So funny and clever, but it really makes you think: >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSxPWpLPN7A

Enjoy, sisters! 
~Kristen