Be thankful for blessings in your life
"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent praiseworthy - think on such things."
- Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
We think in order to be thankful we have to wait until everything in our life is perfectly in place. Other times, we think that counting our blessings for everyday things sounds too simplistic. But if we really stop and count each individual one, we may be surprised how rich our lives really are.
Each day, being able to hear sounds around us, to speak with clarity, and have sight to see the wonders of nature is a wonderful gift. Even if one of these senses is missing, we can be thankful we still have the others.
Some of our most basic things, such as favorite friends, caring parents and activities we enjoy, are a few things worth giving thanks for. Have you ever made a list of the basic blessings in life? I wonder how many you'd have. Even one is a good start.
Being thankful for what we have doesn't mean that we don't want things to get better. On the contrary, I believe it opens up the heavens to release better things our way. If nothing else, it cleanses our weary souls of the blues. Scripture says think about what's lovely, pure and good. I think the Apostle Paul was using that message to encourage believers to count our blessings.
Whenever, we're feeling sorry for ourselves, we need to write a mental list of all we have to give thanks for in our lives. That will help us keep our focus on what we do have, instead of what is missing.
As I mull over my blessing list, I realize that I may still desire a few things, but I can still be thankful for what I have already been given.
• Annettee Budzban is a Christian author, speaker, life coach and nurse. She will be speaking on managing stress and signing books from 6-7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, at Panera Bread in Round Lake Beach. For details, contact her at AnnetteeBudzban@aol.com or (847) 543-8413.