Count Your Blessings

Author:
Mom


Source:


Date given:
Mother's Day, May 10, 2009


Location:
Sharon 6th Ward



Today while riding on a bus I saw a maid with golden hair.
I envied her, she seemed so sweet, and I wished I were as fair.
But then I saw her rise to leave, and as she hobbled down the aisle,
She had one foot and wore a crutch, but as she passed, a smile.
Oh God, forgive me when I whine. I have two feet, the world is mine.

And then I stopped to buy some sweets, the lad who sold them had such charm.
I stopped and chatted with him a while, he seemed so cordial and so warm.
It’s really been nice talking to you, he said, for you have been most kind—
I sometimes get quite lonesome here, because, well sir, I’m blind.
Oh God, forgive me when I whine. I have two eyes, the world is mine.

Then as I walked on down the street, I met a boy with eyes of blue.
He stood and watched the others play. It seemed he knew not what to do.
I watched and then I said, “Why don’t you join the others, dear?”
He just kept looking straight ahead, and then I knew he could not hear.
Oh God, forgive me when I whine. I have two ears, the world is mine.

With feet to take me where I’d go—with eyes to see the sunsets glow—and ears to hear the things I’d know—Oh God, forgive me when I whine. I’m truly blessed. The world is mine.

When you woke up this morning did you think about great it is to be alive and to have a new day to enjoy?
That your health is as good as it is, even though it may not be perfect?
Did you think about our Savior Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice for us?
How blessed you are to have testimony?
Did you notice the beautiful world around you? The flowers, the blossoms....
Did anyone think about how blessed we are to not have to go miles and miles to church but can just run out the door the last minute?
On this Mother’s Day, how many have stopped and thought about how blessed we are to have mothers?
Did you take time to pray this morning? If you did, did you really think about your blessings?

During my father’s later life he loved to build things, garden, and read, especially in the scriptures. He was going on age 84 when my mother passed away. Over the next six years he experienced some major disappointments with his health. In addition to surgeries, he had macular degeneration, which got to the point that he could no longer see to read. Eventually it worsened so that he couldn’t distinguish faces to know who people were. His body became unstable, requiring a cane and then a walker, in order to get around. His mind began to forget things and this gradually became a big obstacle and frustration for him. He was no longer able to use his hands to build and do carpentry work as he had done throughout his life. He did what he could in the garden but soon his poor eyesight and unstable body made that impossible to accomplish. It got to the point that he could do very little on his own. This could be very discouraging to anyone –to not be able to do anything --and it was very disappointing to him. Often when he would be feeling badly about not being able to do something, he would tell me that he didn’t understand why he had to stay so long on earth in this condition but that he would endure as well as he could if that’s what the Lord wanted. Then, almost every time, he would add the words to the familiar hymn:

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed
When you are discouraged thinking all is lost
Count your many blessings name them one by one
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

He would then tell us blessings Heavenly Father had given him. Other times we would go over and find him discouraged and we would do the same with him – start reminding him about all of the wonderful blessings he had. This would help him cheer up and keep him going. Right up to the day before he passed away, my dad wanted to hear the song “Count Your Blessings”. I think this hymn became his theme to get him through his darkest hours. I saw first-hand that when you are feeling down, if you will think about your blessings, it will lift you up and you will see that everything is not as bad as you imagine and there is a lot of good.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly
And you will be singing as the days go by.

I would probably be right to say that everyone of us has had problems in our lives – different kinds, at different times and to different degrees. However, almost always, if we are willing to acknowledge it, after we have been through the trial, we can look back and see how the Lord blessed us and made that trial a stepping stone for us instead of a road block.

My sister and I were driving to Richfield and as we were talking, we decided to list as many blessings as we could think of. This went on for quite a long while until we got to Richfield. It was amazing how many things you can write down when you are really thinking about it. I realized that I could have filled more than one journal just listing all of the blessings I have received throughout my life. Look for the blessings! You will find them everywhere!

President Eyring gave a talk in October 2007 conference which changed the way I write in my journal and made me more aware of my blessings. Many of you may remember when he told us how we should ponder the question, “Have I seen the hand of God reaching out to touch me today?” and then write down what we noticed. He said, “My point is to urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness. It will build our testimonies. You will be blessed as you remember what the Lord has done. Take the time to think of specific blessings that often go unnoticed and write them down. Then, whenever you are feeling down, pull out your journal and remind yourself of your many blessings.”

The following is a story from the New Era by Geri Christensen:

“It started innocently enough. Like most other children, I would sit by the window, look out at the stars, and repeat the chant:

“Star light, star bright
First star I see tonight.
I wish I may, I wish I might
Have the wish I wish tonight.”

Then I would close my eyes and make my wish. I wished for everything my childish mind could dream of: a pony, a puppy, a fairy godmother. I never got my wishes, but that was okay because it was all done in fun.

I grew older and stopped wishing on stars, but, unfortunately, I didn’t stop wishing. Now it took on a definite greenish tint. I wasn’t wishing for a puppy or a pony, but I wished I could be more like Kathy, because all the boys liked her, or I wished I had clothes like Linda’s.

Whenever I saw someone with something I didn’t have, I thought of how much happier I would be with it, so I’d start wishing for it. Almost everyone I met seemed to have something I didn’t have. I began to believe that everyone else had everything, and I had nothing.

Of course I began to feel sorry for myself. I’d whine, “If only things were different.” Or, “It’s just not fair!” Or, “Why me?”

So how did I ever find my way out of envy and self-pity? Believe it or not, I found my answer in the Church hymnbook. One Sunday I was sitting behind a girl who had the most beautiful hair. I was wishing that mine were that long and shiny, when we began singing “Count Your Blessings.”

Now, I had probably sung that song dozens of times, but it never meant anything to me until then. For the first time, I paid attention to the words. Why was I always wishing for things I didn’t have? Why did I feel angry and cheated because life wasn’t treating me fairly? The answer was right there in the hymn. I wasn’t counting my blessings. All I ever thought about were the things I didn’t have, which completely obscured my awareness of all the things I did have.

I went home from church and did exactly what the hymn said to do. I made a list of all my blessings. First came the obvious ones like home and family, and food and clothing. But then I wrote down other things like my personal strengths and assets, the many opportunities and positive experiences I’d had, my understanding of the gospel and the unique perspective that added to my life. When I added them up, I counted more than 100 blessings. Like the hymn says, I really was surprised.

I carried this list for a long time, and whenever I found myself slipping back into my old wishing habit, I would read the list. It always helped me to have a feeling of gratitude rather than one of envy and self-pity.

Finally the day came when I didn’t have to carry the list anymore because I no longer needed to wish for things. I was happy for others and their blessings, because I was more aware of my own blessings. I became so much happier once I finally quit wishing.”

When you look at others with their lands and gold
Think that Christ has promised you his wealth untold.
Count your many blessings money cannot buy
Your reward in heaven nor your home on high.

Certainly money does not buy eternal happiness. We so easily forget that we came into the world without worldly goods and we will leave without them. Why, then, do we place them so high on our priority list while we are here? We should shift our thoughts to eternal goals and faithfully keep the commandments. By so doing, we will see many blessings come into our lives. A favorite scripture that I often think about is Mosiah 2:41:
And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

On this Mother’s day I want to express my gratitude for my own sweet mother. She is a great example to me and my family. She has been gone from our presence for eight years, although many times I feel her near. As I was growing up, we didn’t have the newest house, a fancy car, extravagant vacations, the latest styles, or many of the things people in the world feel are important. But oh, how we were blessed. People might have classified us as more on the poor side but we were rich, indeed. We had everything money could not buy – especially loving parents who taught us about Heavenly Father and who helped us gain a testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ. My parents put high priority on their family and spent time with us. And what a blessing it was to me and my brothers and sisters. My mother went by the motto: Fix is up, wear it out, make it do, or do without.” This helped her live within her means, even if it wasn’t a lot, and it helped her stay happy. She did not worry about what she didn’t have or things she couldn’t afford. She was happy and cheerful and made the best with what she was blessed with. She emulated our Savior in the way she went about her life. She looked for the good and acknowledged her blessings. She often told us, “You will find what you look for. If you look for bad, that’s what you’ll see and if you look for good, that’s what you’ll find.” She had extremely great faith and knew that Heavenly Father was watching out for us and was blessing us. She too, on many occasions, would remind us to think of the wonderful blessings we had. And she cautioned us to consider how the choice we were making would affect us eternally. She was an optimist and I can still hear her words, “Don’t worry, things will work out.”

When I think of blessings, I think of being cheerful and optimistic, because when you are aware of all of your blessings and are thankful for them, it makes you happy. Everyone can become discontented if he ignores his blessings and looks only at his problems. In the last general conference, President Monson said: “It would be easy to become discouraged about the future if we allowed ourselves to dwell only on that which is wrong in the world and in our lives. I’d like us to turn our thoughts and our attitudes away from the troubles around us and to focus instead on our blessings as members of the Church…..” President Hinckley said, “I see so many people…who seem never to see the sunshine, but who constantly walk with storms under cloudy skies. Cultivate a spirit of optimism. Walk with faith, rejoicing in the beauties of nature, in the goodness of those you love, in the testimony which you carry in your heart concerning things divine.”

So amid the conflict, whether great or small
Do not be discouraged, God is over all
Count your many blessings, angels will attend
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.
Count your blessings, name them one by one
Count your many blessings; See what God has done

As you become more aware of your blessings, make your personal prayer more sincere by taking time to think before you pray. Ponder on the events of the day and thank Heavenly Father for specific blessings, such as having another day on earth, our health, our Savior and the blessing of the Atonement, our testimonies, the beauties around us, our mothers … … And as it says in Alma 34:38 “…live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you.”



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