Circuit Thoughts

I’m sitting here in my office, writing to you good folks, and I cannot believe the temperature is a pleasant 74 degrees outside. Here we are in August, the dog days of summer and the temperature is a cross between fall and spring. This is truly a blessing. I also realize that at any moment, Mother Nature will regain her senses and grace us with more of that 102 degree in the shade stuff. But until then I plan on enjoying this most pleasant of blessings.

By the way, have you counted your blessings lately? I am aware that the world is full of turmoil. COVID-19 has raised its ugly head again, and in the wings, there is another variant coming across the pond from China. I know that many people are still recovering from economic upheaval. I am also aware of the political strife that is going on all over the world, (I listen to the news too.) I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the MLB trades, (I mean, what were the Cubs thinking?) So, have you counted your blessings?

There is an old hymn that goes, “Count your blessings, name them one by one…”. That is a good practice, especially in the most trying times. James 1:17 reminds us that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father…”.

I know how hard it can be to count blessings when things are not going so well. It is hard to see blessings next to someone who is struck down with illness. Funerals make it hard to see blessings. I know the difficulty is seeing a blessing when your only vehicle has thrown a rod. Just trying to make ends meet calls us to question if God is mad at us or not.

Well, I can assure you, that even in the most troubling times, there are blessings. Even when we are at the end of our rope, blessings are still coming down. We may have a hard time seeing them, but they are there.

So here is an idea. Everyday, before you crawl into bed, count your blessings. No matter how small you think they are, count them. When you get up in the morning, start paying attention to the blessings. I have news for you, breathing is a blessing, getting out of bed is a blessing. Blessings aren’t just over the top prizes; they are the simple things in life that God is providing for you and me.

Another exercise that I find helps to grow my faith, is making sure that someone today can count me as a blessing. Yeah, go be a blessing for someone. Show them that God is still showering us with his love and care.

Look, being depressed and looking on the gloomy side of things is not working. Being negative has never helped in any situation, and often makes things worse. Perhaps if we started looking at those blessings and realizing the amazing things God does in our lives, we can change things.

Go ahead give it a shot. The only thing you have to lose is negativity.

See you in church.