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Counting all the Blessings God has Given

by Annette Stafford

 
In 1999 my husband and I took our family on a trip to Montague Island, specifically to join a whale-watching tour, where we could closely witness the majestic beauty of the humpback whales as they made their way along the NSW coastline.  We were captivated by the breathtaking sights and sounds as we watched the first whale leap out of the water, roll in the air, and crash noisily back into the water.  It was nature being displayed at its very best, and these beautiful sights would be banked in our memories for always.

As exciting and as powerful as this new experience was, after less than an hour of watching many whales breaching I was ready to go back onto dry land. I'd got used to the experience and it was time to move on.

Years ago, our youngest son accompanied his father to the Solomon Islands where they performed voluntary work in one of the schools. My son had not long before left school and before this trip, the only travel he had done was to NZ and Lord Howe Island.

The trip had a profound impact on him and upon his return to Australia he told me he was never going to complain about anything again. He was able to compare his life of privilege, good health and medical care, and good education with what he had just witnessed in the Solomon Islands. He felt incredibly lucky to live in a part of the world where life was easy and secure, where even the poorest people were wealthy in relative terms. In that honeymoon period, our son was able to look at his life with new fresh eyes and appreciate the full value of what he had.

Of course, it didn't last. That appreciative frame of mind lingered for a few weeks, but after that I watched on as he took his situation for granted again, switching off to the value of his blessings.

As humans our fickle nature means we constantly search for something new to satisfy the insatiable craving for a variety of experiences. Social media, branding and marketing prey on this weakness within us as we pursue satisfaction and fulfillment for that elusive something to make us feel happy.  Meanwhile, we fail to appreciate the full value of our health for example, of the people we love, of our peace, our freedom, our prosperity, or the very fact that we are alive at all. When we do learn the value of these things it's often when they're under threat - for example when we become seriously ill or our health starts to suffer, when our relationships completely break down (perhaps because we took them for granted), or when we experience sudden loss or change.  At that point, we humans often bargain, 'If only I was healthy again, or if only my husband came back to me, I'd value again what I had. And then for a while, we probably would appreciate what we had but because of our human nature, we'd soon switch off to the value of our blessings once we'd readapted.

When positive events happen in our lives - a new relationship, a promotion, a new hobby, a move to a bigger, better house or new environment, a new car, any new change - we experience a temporary lift to our happiness but within a short time we adapt to the situation and return to the same level of well-being as before.  It's our human nature.

To cultivate a state of enduring gratitude we humans need to practice thankfulness because in this world there is so much that will hurt, disappoint, and disillusion us.

Counting our blessings means changing our natural human perspective of things to find the real beauty in everything around us.

The Bible teaches us that beauty is not about outward appearances that will fade with time but about reflecting God's eternal beauty. We are told that true beauty is measured by the condition of one's heart and therefore what makes a person full of beauty is a heart that is kind, righteous, and holy. When we put God first and live like Jesus, then in God's eyes we are truly beautiful.

God has provided us with everything we need to realise that beauty.

To make my point I want to quote from:-

1 Samuel 16:17 'But the Lord said to Samuel, Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart

Psalm 34:5 'Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed'

1 Peter 3:3-4 'Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewellery or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight'

God made the world beautiful for us.

Psalm 19:1 is an ode to God's beautiful world and His perfect Word: -

'The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.'

Genesis 1:31 'God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.'

Job 12:7-10  Job replies: 'But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.'

Psalm 8:3-6 'When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honour

You have made them rulers over the works of your hands, you put everything under their feet.'

It's a wonderful gift that God filled our world with beauty in nature, beauty that reflects our gracious and loving Creator.  When we spend time in nature we see rich beauty, incredible thoughtfulness, amazing design, and extraordinary creativity making it difficult to imagine how such intricate handiwork could ever have come into existence without God.

We know in this world we will have trials and tribulations just as Jesus himself did. But, with His power and presence in our lives, we are called to endure and shine the light of Christ in all the dark corners. Death, heartache, and suffering are as much a part of our world as love, joy, and peace. One cannot exist without the other but there is beauty in all things and we must look for the beauty in everything.

Ellen White in Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing p11-13 wrote: -

"All who are followers of Christ will share in this experience. As they partake of His love they will enter into His travail for the saving of the lost. They share in the sufferings of Christ, and they will share also in the glory that shall be revealed. One with Him in His work, drinking with Him the cup of sorrow, they are partakers also of His joy… The Lord has special grace for the mourner, and its power is to melt hearts, to win souls."

God has provided beauty in all things. Counting our blessings serves to help us find and value the real beauty.

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