Remembering Our Blessings
When D. L. Moody was once reading the 103rd Psalm and came to the verse, “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,” he stopped short and added, “You can’t remember them all, of course, but don’t forget them all either. Remember some of them.”
“Thinking precedes thanking.” We are moved to show our appreciation for a gift when we take the time to consider its meaning and significance. Thinking must come before thanking.
Picture a Different Life
Think about what our lives would be like without the many comforts we take for granted today. It is difficult to be thankful for what we have unless we remember what it would be like not to have them. Imagine life without a refrigerator, washing machine and dryers, oven, kitchen range, car, flush toilets, electric lights, toaster, dishwashers, supermarkets, books to read and learn from, and much more.
Finding Blessings in Everyday Life
What do I have to be thankful for? Friends, friendship, family, and people who care. There are memories of good times with loved ones, and friends. Remember them and be grateful!
We have the ability to enjoy life: to smell, taste, hear, see, and feel. There is the ability to walk, run, and use skills, as well as the ability to talk, listen, and communicate.
Regarding health, being relatively free from aches and pains, having strength to get up each morning, and enjoying another day are blessings worth thinking about.
Comforts such as a kitchen, the warmth of a furnace, and food that tastes good means I need not go hungry. There is also the beautiful: flowers, trees, hills, the sea shore, butterflies, and sunsets.
Even on Stormy Days
Alexander Whyte (1836–1921) of Edinburgh was famous for his pulpit prayers. He always found something to thank God for, even in bad times. One stormy morning, a member of his congregation thought, “The preacher will have nothing to thank God for on a wretched morning like this.” But Whyte began his prayer, “We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this.”
And of course, it is true! Even in the midst of heartache, conflict, and difficulty, we still have many things for which to be thankful.