"Count Your Blessings"

There's an old hymn that we sometimes sing at church: 

"Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done."

There would be times where I would just say the words, not really thinking about their meaning. But, the circumstances that happened in the Kuehne household last week kept bringing this song to mind and made stop and think. 

Last Monday our sink stopped working. The water filled up in each sink and then leaked out from the U-curve below (it wasn't until the kitchen floor and rug were soaked that I realized what was happening.). And, of course Stephen was working until midnight and then 8am-4pm the next day. When we got hold of our landlord Tuesday night she said she would call a plumber the next morning...well, she tried, but couldn't get an answer until Thursday: the plumber couldn't come until 8:30am Saturday. Oh, joy! Almost a week with no sink, no cooking, and no dishes! 

On top of that, I found out Tuesday night that my job with H&R Block wasn't going to work out - the background check took too long to resolve (for those who don't know, the background check brought up my maiden name instead of Kuehne. It took 3 weeks to resolve, during which the whole time H&R assured me I would still have my job). This was a major letdown. Not only was I actually looking forward to working (getting out of the apartment), but we desperately needed the money. Stephen doesn't make that much and he hardly ever gets a 40hr work week. 

Through all this, you would think we have reasons to be annoyed and complain, right? I did. It wasn't until after we finally got the sink fixed that this song got stuck in my head and I realized how wrong I was to complain. Yes, no job and no sink were inconveniences, but at least Stephen has a job and we have family who helps out however they can! And, we had enough food to get us through the week, and my mom bought us paper plates and plastic cups as well as took our dirty dishes home and washed them for us! Talk about blessings! And, I started thinking, 5 days without a sink is really not all that long. Yes, it did seem like forever in the middle of it, but there are plenty of people who don't have sinks, or indoor plumbing, even. Many people on the other side of the world don't have this luxury. Hundreds of years ago none of the even existed! Can you imagine having to go outside to use the restroom? Or, carrying in buckets of water to do dishes, take a bath, and basically do anything that required water? 

There are so many, many things we take for granted that to a lot of people are luxuries. A place to live, cars, a job(s), fresh food, clothes that aren't tattered...the list goes on and on. And, we complain sooo much. We complain about being hungry when we have food in front of us. We complain about being cold when we have coats and heat to keep us warm. We complain about broken cars when, most of the time, God provides a way to fix them. We complain about having nothing to wear when we have drawers and closets stuffed with clothes. Why do we do this? Why is it so hard to realize that everything we have is a gift from God? (James 1) God does not have to give us anything...in fact, He has no reason to except that He loves us. Matthew 6 and Philippians 4 state this so clearly. 
So, how about instead of looking for reasons to complain, we look for reasons to "count our blessings"? I really do think you would be surprised and humbled at how much God does do for you! I know I am. 

My list of blessings:

1. A warm home.
2. A husband who puts Christ first, me second, him last.
3. A job for Stephen.
4. Too many clothes.
5. Cabinets filled with food.
6. Families willing to help out in whatever way they can.
7. A church family who encourages and prays for each other. and is always reaching out to help others.
8. This season of my life where I'm not working so I can enjoy every minute Stephen has off.
9. A Bible.
10. A car so Stephen can get to work.
11. Plumbing.
12. Friends who encourage and go out of their way to help out.
13. Books.
14. The ability to move.
15. Resources to help me in my walk with Christ.
16. The ability to pray.
17. The opportunities to worship God and hear His Word preached.
18. Opportunities to witness.  
19. A God who loves me so much in spite of my imperfections that He sent His only Son to die for those imperfections.
20. A Savior who obeyed His Father to die on a cross for my sins.
21. And eternity to worship my Father and Savior. 

 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,  yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.  But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?  Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. ~ Matthew 6: 25-34