Autumn is such a special time, set apart from all other seasons. It gives the inviting feeling of coming home, welcoming friends and gathering family together around a delicious, hearty meal.
November is one of my favorite months of Autumn. Here in California the weather finally takes a dip in temperature and the colors of the leaves are rich with a vibrancy that is difficult to articulate. I love November also because of the focus on thankfulness and gratefulness – and I make it a habit to count my blessing often.
With the Thanksgiving holiday just around the corner I find myself each new morning taking inventory of the day that just passed before. Sitting sleepily at the kitchen table, sipping coffee to wake up, I thankfully count each blessing that day held. I look out the window as the crisp leaves fall and I imagine the blessings the day ahead of me might reveal.
Creating a space for gratitude and cultivating a thankful heart welcomes joy, invites contentment and releases peace. Even in hard circumstances there are blessings to count.
“Through the eyes of gratitude, everything is a miracle.”
— Mary Davis
Emotions are a huge part of life. They can make us soar to the mountain tops or plummet to the depths of the sea. Yet, changing our focus to magnify the Lord and the blessings He has placed around us brings a balance to our soul and a reverence to our spirit. Even the hard times and rough patches are a blessing when we allow them to point us toward Jesus. The trials we face in life reveal our desperate need for Him. And that is a blessing most definitely worth counting.
“Count your blessings even your pain
flowers need both sunshine and rain.”
– Jacqueline Stinson
Jesus is my biggest blessing. Nurturing a relationship with Him provides me with the confidence to shake off uncertainties, combat fears and lay aside differences. My name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 21:27) and that is a blessing worth counting twice!
Today as I count my blessings one at a time, my heart gives humble thanks and my burdens feel lighter. Counting my blessings changes my attitude to gratitude. It reveals to me a much bigger picture that God has purposefully planned that I be a part of. Joy begins to build up and eases the mundane. The little things become important and life feels fresh.
If you are struggling with your emotions today, try being still for a moment and take a sincere look around you. List an account of the things you have now that you prayed for years ago. Are you alive and breathing? Of course you are! So that means God has a plan and His blessings abound. When we count our trials as blessings it births faith. Faith paves the way for miracles. God is at work and He can be trusted.
And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all you need, you will abound in every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8
Lord, thank you for the blessings you have so graciously given to me. My wonderful husband, our home, our family and friends. Among these blessings are many, many more sprinkled throughout each day. They season life with such genuine sweetness. Thank you for the blessings of sunshine and rain, healing and pain. Thank you for the air I breath and the life I get to live. – Amen!
Some of the blessings I have counted recently may help you get started on your own list.
A crackling fire – snapping and smoking
Warm bedsheets, fresh out of the dryer
Peanut butter cookies on a rainy day
An answered prayer
The sound of my husband’s voice
A friend who called to ask me to go to coffee
Rocking a sweet, precious baby to sleep
My kitty cat that kept me up all night (he’s a blessing, despite his naughtiness)
Laughing uncontrollably
The smell of dinner in the crockpot filling the house
My health
Sleeping in on a Saturday morning
Hearing the whisper of God in my ear
That kind smile from a stranger
A home to clean and laundry to wash
Driving a 21 year old minivan that gets me where I need to go
Shopping with a Starbucks in hand
Loved ones who need me
Walks in the park
Family
Friends
and
Love
Friends, this Thanksgiving season I greatly encourage you to count your blessings. There truly is always something to be thankful for.
Be Blessed,
~ Stephanie
For His Glory, By His Grace 
Josh Baldwin’s “Evidence” has become the new “Count Your Blessings” song for me. Every time we sing it in church, I think about what that evidence (i.e., God’s blessings) is in my life. Thank you for your post!
Scott
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I had never heard of that song before so I just looked it up on YouTube. What a powerful song it is! Thank you for mentioning it. And thank you so much for reading my blog! You are so right, God’s blessings are evident all around us.
God Bless!
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