Loaded

I love the King James translation of Psalm 68:19:  “Blessed Be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah” (Selah: Pause and calmly think of that.)

Are you feeling ‘ loaded’ or disappointed? Are you rejoicing in thankfulness or feeling disallusioned? If it’s the latter in both cases, try writing down, as Anne Voskamp (One Thousand Gifts) did, every single thing for which you’re thankful. She started by challenging her deeply depressed self to list 100. What started as a seemingly impossible task changed her life.

For my fellow White Christmas fans, remember Bing Crosby singing “Count Your Blessings instead of sheep?” Sometimes our worries or dashed hopes overshadow even the smallest good in our lives. It may sound prosaic to talk about counting your blessings...like something out of an old greeting card. However, God’s Word never fails to bring life if we come to it with openness.  “Give thanks in all circumstances” is not a last ditch suggestion; it’s a command that God knows will cause life to spring up in the midst of every form of struggle, whether a mere skirmish or a life-and-death battle.

Scour the Scriptures for the terms ‘thanks,’ thanksgiving’ and ‘thankfulness’ and you will unearth treasure.  Start or renew the practice of a journal just for thankfulness. Include the Scriptures you discover, as well as an ongoing list of things for which you thank God, Things visible and invisible. Look up and see all He is daily pouring upon you, including His beaming countenance. Partner with a friend and share what God opens your eyes to see, and I’ll do the same. Let’s bubble over with such grateful hearts, despite our pains and struggles, that we hear His delighted laughter echoing from Heaven.
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*1 Thessalonians 5:18
“The people of God ought to be the happiest people in all the wide world. People should be coming to us constantly and asking the source of our joy and delight...God is our Father, Christ is our Brother, the Holy Spirit our Advocate and Comforter...”     —AW Tozer