Ever feel like you don’t have much to be thankful for or that thankfulness is not flowing freely from you? Well, I decided to sit down and write out 27 ways God has blessed me (27 just seemed like a nice number).
I figured, for starters, it would shut me up and prevent me from whining or complaining, thinking that God really hasn’t done that much for me. Secondly, I would be forced to remember all that He has done, which is infinitely more than 27 things…and that alone is humbling and challenging.
So here are 27 ways God has blessed me…
1. I’m alive. Sound corny? Well, maybe, but I shouldn’t be alive. More of that in another post at another time.
2. I have babies. I was certain, because of my past life of sin, that I would never be able to have children.
3. I’m married to the perfect man…well, perfect for me. I was also certain because of my past sin that no man would ever want to marry me…at least not one as Godly and wonderful as my husband.
4. I have a restored relationship with my dad.
5. I have a restored relationship with my stepfather.
6. Somehow, despite the financial struggle to do so, I graduated from college…with very little debt.
7. My in-laws, who are not anything like “in-laws”. They are like an extra set of wonderful parents.
8. Heck, my husband’s whole family is my family. They treat me like I have always been a part of theirs.
9. I have been radically transformed from being the rude, selfish, unkind, snotty girl I once was.
10. I have this blog, which is a blessing to me each and every day. Why? Because of you. No joke.
11. Donuts exist. I consider this a blessing from God, yes.
12. Even though I lived a sexually promiscuous life previously, I was protected from STD’s and an unwanted pregnancy. I think of this fact from time to time and am still amazed at God’s hand of protection.
13. My health. I mean sure, I get migraines and have weird Fibromyalgia type symptoms, but overall I am healthy. I don’t know about you, but I so often take my health for granted.
14. Being financially able to stay home with my kids. I don’t take this for granted.
15. Having true friends, which I longed for and asked the Lord for in prayer, for many years.
16. My home, especially since lately I’ve been feeling antsy to move, and God has gently reminded me to instead look and see all that I have.
17. My mom, who worked three jobs, put herself through college, and raised me by herself, yet was somehow able to attend every parent teacher conference, every dance recital, and every other thing. Amazing.
18. My baby, Beckett. Yes, I know I already mentioned my kids, but my third child was a direct and overwhelming answer to years 0f prayer.
19. The opportunity to travel. Of course, they are so many places I’d still love to go, but the fact that I’ve been anywhere is more than most people get to experience in their lifetime.
20. The radical, life-changing, relationship-transforming moment when I repented of all the wrong things I used to think about God the Father. The moment when I asked Him to forgive me for thinking He was anything like my earthly dad, and the immediate, instantaneous, powerful change in my spirit and mind that followed.
21. The Body. I cannot imagine who I would be or where I would be, if not for the Body of saints.
22. Every email, message, or tweet from one of you, telling me that something I wrote edified you, convicted you, challenged you, or helped God speak to you.
23. Hulu. I’m just sayin’…
24. The Word and especially Phillipians 3:12, which were the first verses I memorized upon knowing Jesus and which still continue to be a major source of encouragement and help to me.
25. Grace…all of it, every drop, every bucket, every single time. I am overwhelmed and in constant awe of God’s grace.
26. God allowing me to participate in His plan, using me despite my being so undeserving, to impact His Kingdom however slight. I’m humbled that He uses me and I’m beyond thankful each time He does.
27. Jesus, continually chasing me and pursuing me, that I might know Him more, and in doing so compelling me to chase Him right back.
I have a Savior. I have a fantastic wife and great kids. I have a great job.
Larry,
A short, but powerful list. You have much to be thankful for…
Thank you for this reminder. It can be so easy to focus on the things not going our way. So happy God has blessed your life.
Thanks Sundi!
What a great way to see all God has done for you and continues to do. My biggest blessing is that I’m alive and well, because I shouldn’t be either. So every morning I wake up is truly a blessing.
Victoria,
Amen to waking up thankful. That alone is a triumph.
I’m alive, I’m healthy, my family-members are all still alive and kicking too, even though my grandparents are ageing real fast, but in a way that is a blessing to. We’re all supposed to grow really old and then leave this earth. It’s how it’s meant to be. I have amazing friends. I have Jesus who is obviously my best friend. I have an education that I’ve worked hard for and I believe that I will be blessed with a job soon enough, I also know that one day the Lord will bless me with a husband and a family of my own. I count my future blessings too, because I know they’re coming.
I have a good friend in a very toxic work environment. He’s made creating a “blessings list” a spiritual practice he does every day as soon as he gets to work. He says it’s totally changed how he functions at work. He’s a much more positive, healthy and Christ-honoring force in his job now.
Thanks for this reminder :)
Such a great and practical idea, especially for someone who works in a toxic environment. I could have used this idea for a few former workplaces of my own.
God uses every one of your posts to speak to me. I am so thankful for you and the writing that you do.
Hey thanks Chelsea! I’m blessed by that.
God took me back a second time after I walked away from Him the first time I confessed Jesus as my Savior. He has washed away all my sins.
He protected me from men I thought were “perfect” for me, who would have hurt me in so many ways when I wasn’t asking for His input. Then He spent three years healing me from past relationships and preparing me for the godly man He perfectly designed for me
He is changing me with His relentless, gentle pressure, sometimes by turning on a switch in my heart, sometimes, by making me live out situations over and over again, a la “Groundhog Day” until I get it right.
Like you, He gave me the gift of motherhood even though my past actions would have disqualified me for any. The are four perfectly wonderful kids.
He has let me continue homeschooling even though there was one year when He would have been justified to fire me. It is one of the many acts of grace He has poured into me.
He has been gracious enough to call all four of my kids to be in His family and was doubly gracious to let me witness three out of four of their moment of dedication.
This is just one of many things. Basically, though, most of the things on your list I could put on mine.
Great list! I love it. Thank you for sharing.
PS I’d love to hear about the whole worst homeschooler of the year award because I was convinced that award went to me.:)
Fantastic idea. I need to stop and write my own list to keep my mouth shut from complaining sometimes. You are just so practical with your posts, thanks.
I am thankful I live in a foreign country and God has used it to disturb my apathy.
Ken,
Ha! I take that as a great compliment. I am uber-practical, almost to a fault, but it can come in handy. If you do write a list, I hope you’ll share it!
I’m thankful for the peace that comes from knowing that no matter what life looks like, God is, and will be faithful.
I am thankful for 20 of your 27 and can so relate to you!! thanks for being thankful
I love this! Have you read the book 1,000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp? Two friends and I are working our way through it, and we’re each tracking our way to complete a list of 1,000 gifts in our everyday lives. Here’s mine so far: http://katiewithoutrestrictions.wordpress.com/1000-gifts/ It’s such an incredible, and life-changing, exercise!
Katie,
I do know of Ann’s book (who doesn’t, right? She’s amazing) but I haven’t picked it up for myself yet. I love the concept, however, as I am super practical and it is such a hands on way of seeing God in your life.
Thanks for the link too!
I am sooooo thankful to DADDY GOD, CHRIST JESUS, amen, amen!. GOD has always been there for me when I never knew it or HIM the way I should have. I am thankful to GOD for always shielding, protecting, keeping, blessing, loving, caring and covering me and my family always, and HE still is, thank YOU LORD GOD CHRIST JESUS, amen, amen!. I used to be lost and confused, living fast and doing things I knew wasn’t right and GOD warned me once, and disobeyed HIM, over being foolish and wanting to do what I wanted to do. GOD is soooooooo GOOD, amen!. GOD taught me a lesson through what I was doing, I was headed down a road of destruction but GOD gave me another chance, a big chance, amen!. GOD heard my parents prayer, my parents prayed for me to stop what I was doing, the way I was living and HE answered their prayer, and HE warned me, I heard HIM but did not listen because I was blinded by sin, by the wrong pleasures of life, what a lot of people live for, but through it all GOD saved me and still loved me and gave me a second chance, amen!. This time HE stopped me, HE taught me through what I was doing and HE told me I had to go through the situation I went through a while ago, so that I could be stopped. I thank GOD with all of me, all of my heart, soul, mind, body and life for teaching me and chastising me through the trail and tribulation I went through, because it changed me completely, and though I could have been damaged but got kept me safe through it all, thank YOU JESUS, amen, amen!. My life is not the same o’l sinful and blinded way, my life now is in CHRIST JESUS, HE has really given me life more abundantly, amen, amen!. I have never been more happier in my life now then I used to be. I never had true happiness until GOD gave it to me, amen, amen!. I am a transformed child of the MOST HIGH GOD, KING JESUS, amen, amen!. I always knew GOD gave me these anointed and beautiful gifts to be used for HIS GLORY and HONOR, but when I used to be blind I used them the wrong way, I always felt like I was an alien or weird because I was different and I tried to be someone I certainly wasn’t meant to be, but GOD changed all of me and transformed me into HIS daughter, a woman of GOD, living, serving, doing, following, working for my GOD CHRIST JESUS, amen, amen!. GOD has plans for all of us and I believe HE will continue to keep all of HIS children safe, shielded, protected, anointed, covered in HIS PRECIOUS, PURE and HOLY BLOOD, as we keep serving HIM, amen, amen!. GOD had to take me through the pain to be delivered and healed, and molded, and transformed into the woman HE has always wanted me to be, and I will be and fulfill the purpose, works, missions and plans, everything that GOD wants me to do for HIS GLORY and HONOR, and I will continue to be obedient to GOD, and that is what HE taught me through my situation, obedience, patients, to love HIM, to love myself and to love people, and abiding in HIM, amen, amen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. Thank YOU LORD GOD CHRIST JESUS, amen, amen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. :)
Child of God thank you for reminding me on counting my blessings and started to dot them down.I thank God in using you and I pray God will use you to others cos we should count our blessings one by one
This world is very evil and lately I found myself on blogs of atheists who say god dosent exist. I don’t know maybe its the devil who puts those thoughts into my head to make me lose my Faith. I just know our world, or universe is Sooo complex that it couldn’t have just pop up here from a big bang. Even down to our personalities. It’s just Sooo odd to me that people think that god dosent exist. One of the things I’m afraid of is death a little and some atheists say that when we die we don’t exist anymore like I know the body goes away but what about my mind, my consciousness, my personality. It just seems odd to me and impossible to me that it all ends there. Like but I’ve been praying and repenting my sins and asking god to reveal himself in my life. And he has. Just the fact that I can talk, think freely, walk around freely and think I couldn’t just have been born for nothing, out of nothing, because of a big bang and evolution..I think not lol. I’m gonna try to have faith up until the day I die.. my email is [email protected] if anyone wants to share some advice. I’m 17 years old.
Wow… I was truly amazed by the blessing you listed. I am married to a pastor,which comes along with attacks and many trials but as I read your list and the responses of Gods people I was truly blessed.God bless you I pray you continue to serve his people. It is needed… God bless you.
Im blessed.. I have lot of things to thank for.. His always with me.
Im thankful for another breath in this beautiful life God has given me
I am thankful that he called me…my life was “good”, but I needed God, and now my life is, well, abundant. I look back and I had a lot of things, but I never believed they came from anyone but me, myself, and I….I was the one who earned those track medals, not thinking that it was because God gifted me with this special ability that I did; I was the one that got into college, not thinking that, again, it was God that gifted me in that area as well, I was the one who found that husband…ha! My husband (37+ years now) was so different from me, it HAD to be a God thing that we found each other and are still together to this day, it was because of me that we adopted our precious son, not thinking that maybe God had a reason for preventing my getting pregnant, because he had this special little someone (he’s 35 now) who need a family, just as I have a family because of HIM.