Counting our Blessings {Psalm 136}

Scripture Reading: Psalms 136

“Count your blessings; name them one by one…” Do you remember the next line to this old hymn? I wonder if the writer of this hymn had thought of  Psalm 136 when they wrote it.

Both the Psalm and the hymn remind us of how important it is to be grateful! I also loved this picture Max Lucado describes for us:

The grateful heart is like a magnet sweeping over the day, collecting reasons for gratitude. A zillion diamonds sparkle against the velvet of your sky every night.  Gratitude gets us through the hard stuff. To reflect on your blessings is to rehearse God’s accomplishments. To rehearse God’s accomplishments is to discover his heart. To discover his heart is to discover not just good gifts but the Good Giver. Gratitude always leaves us looking at God and away from dread. It does to anxiety what the morning sun does to valley mist. It burns it up.”- Max Lucado

I have a friend, who for years battled with depression and anxiety until she began starting each day by writing down 12 things she was thankful for. She will not begin her day without doing this one act first.

How about you? Do you find yourself being grateful for the most part, or do you tend to accentuate the negatives in life? I’ll admit I used to be a pessimist- the glass half empty kind of girl, until I chose to start counting my blessing each morning. I now can see gratitude is a CHOICE! And given the choice, I’d much rather be filled with joy and thanksgiving then weighed down by all the cares of the world. Don't you agree? Did you know that:

I’ll leave you with the a little prayer George Herbert, a 17th-century British poet, included in his poem titled, Gratefulness: “Thou that hast given so much to me, give one thing more: a grateful heart.” 

I pray that will be our prayer as well.