Count Your Blessings

illus0144 Two old friends bumped into one another on the street one day. One of them looked forlorn, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked, “What has the world
done to you, my old friend?”

The sad fellow said, “Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, an uncle died and left me forty thousand dollars.”

“That’s a lot of money.”

“But you see, two weeks ago, a cousin I never even knew died, and left me eighty-five thousand free and clear.”

“Sounds like you’ve been blessed….”

“You don’t understand!” he interrupted. “Last week my
great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter
of a million.”

Now he was really confused. “Then, why do you look so
glum?”

“This week … nothing!”

That’s the trouble with receiving something on a
regular basis. Even if it is a gift, we eventually
come to expect it. Someone once suggested to me a way
to test someone’s character. Give him (or her) $5 a
day for a month. Then stop, and see what his reaction
is. The natural tendency is that if we receive a gift
long enough, we come to view it as an entitlement. We
feel hurt, even angry, if we don’t receive it any
longer.

It’s the same way with the blessings God gives us
every day. I don’t deserve the comfortable home I live
in, the beautiful scenery around me, the clean water
that I drink. But after receiving these gifts (and a
multitude of others) for years, I sometimes fail to be
grateful. I’ve come to expect these good things. And
when one of them is removed for a short while (like
the water being cut off), I get upset.

Make an effort today to recognize the blessings you’ve
come to take for granted. Focus on what you have rather
than on what you don’t have, and see if it doesn’t
improve your attitude.

“Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His
goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children
of men” (Psalm 107:8 ).