Most of my fondest memories came from the music that surrounded me as I was growing up. I was raised in the grand old Church of God in Christ, and we had a way, it seems, of adding extra feeling into the songs we sang.

When I think of thankfulness, I immediately think of one of the old songs we used to sing. It was called, “Count Your Blessings”. Doing a little research, I found that the song was originally written by Johnson Oatman in 1897. Now, I don’t know exactly how Mr. Oatman intended it to be sung. I just remember how “the saints” sang it. It was lively and highly spirited, and the only part I truly remember is the refrain,

Count your blessings, name them one by one;

Count your blessings, see what God has done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one;

Count your many blessings, see what the Lord has done.

As a kid, I didn’t think too much about the many ways I was blessed, but adulthood brought illumination to the abundance of blessings I’ve received over the years! They are too many to count; however, I have those that immediately come to mind. My prayers of thankfulness always include the following:

• Protection - because despite some of the riskiest chances I took with my own personal safety (some of those things make me shiver even now), He kept me safe.

• Provision - because I’ve been broke more times than I can remember, even to the point of going through bankruptcy, but He always provided for me.

• Health and Strength - this becomes more meaningful the older I get. I don’t take one day of this for granted.

• Friends and family I can count on - you don’t truly know what this means until you need that support.

• Being in my right mind - when I was much younger, I didn’t know exactly what that meant. Believe me, I do now, especially after all the trauma and struggles I’ve faced.

Sometimes when we pray, it’s about the things we want God to do for us. I know that has been true for me. In my prayer time, I’ve asked Him for all sorts of things. I wish I could honestly say they were all noble and Christ-like. They were not.

When we praise Him though, we usually praise Him for answered prayers. What I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older is that I also need to praise Him for what He DID NOT give me. It brings to mind what Jesus says in Matthew 7:9-10 that reads, “Which of you, if your son asks for bread will give him a stone, Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake?”

I made lots of bad decisions especially in finances and relationships. I’m so glad He knows what I need better than I do! He chose to give me what I needed instead of what I asked for. Now that I’m on the other side of those mistakes and missteps, I understand why He didn’t give me what I was asking for.

Has that happened in your life as well?

Just acknowledging God’s faithful and unfailing love is enough to send me into a burst of thankfulness.

“Now, our God, we give you thanks and praise your glorious name. “

- 1 Chronicles 29:13 NIV

One of my favorite gospel artists, J. Moss, says it like this:

You loved me through my good,

You loved me through my bad.

You loved me through my good,

You loved me through my bad.

 You didn’t erase my future,

Because of my past;

I’m glad You loved me through my good and my bad.

What are you thankful for?

If you’d like someone to walk alongside you as you work through your filters, facades, and fears to get to a place of true thankfulness, reach out to me at Lois@thepathwaycoach.com.

Blessings,

Lois