Count Your Blessings by G. B. Thompson

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Nov 26, 1914

Count Your Blessings

By G. B. Thompson

THE usefulness of many lives is practically destroyed by dwelling upon the dark pictures in life. These can almost always be found, and having been found, they are hung in the halls of memory and viewed constantly. The world is filled with gruff, chronic growlers, and unfortunately some of these have got into the church. Nothing pleases such persons. They live in the shadow instead of the sunshine. They are constantly on the Egyptian side of the cloud instead of in the presence of Him who is always with them to give light and hope. Their faces are long and sad, and they scatter gloom and despondency wherever they go. They are so grouchy you dread to see them approaching, knowing that they will probably inflict upon you some dreadful foreboding. When the weather is pleasant, they are looking for a storm; they are sure something unpleasant is going to happen.

Such persons are in reality a reproach to Christianity. They woefully misrepresent their Master. There is no place in the religion of the Bible for such a life. Jesus came to give “beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning.” He came to give unto us these great blessings; then why not take them from the hand of the Saviour, and live in the sunshine rather than the shadow?

Sometimes we hear that a certain man is ruined. What has happened? Is his family dead?—No. Has he met with some dreadful accident? Is he maimed for life?—No. Has he lost his reputation?—No. Has he committed some dreadful crime, so that he is hunted by the minions of the law to be brought to justice?—No. Has reason abdicated the throne, so that some of the members of his family must be confined in the madhouse?—No. Has he been struck with some terrible disease in which death is only a question of a short time?—No. What has happened? O, he probably lost some property, or a position which he held! Such seem to have never learned that “a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.”

A merchant returned home one night sad and despondent. As he sank into an easy-chair in his spacious parlor, he said to his wife: “My dear, we are ruined. Everything is in the hands of the sheriff and will be sold. We are totally bankrupt.” After a short period of silence his wife looked into his face and said, “Will the sheriff sell you?”—“No, no.” “Will the sheriff sell me?”—“O, no!” “Will he sell the children?”—“O, no!” “Then why do you say that we have lost everything? All that is most valuable remains to us. We still have our manhood and womanhood and our precious children. We have lost only the results of our skill and industry. We can make another fortune if our hearts and our hands are left us.”

What a noble answer was this! In the midst of misfortune his faithful wife arose to the occasion, and piercing through the veil of seeming disaster, saw the real object and aim of life. This should be an example for all Christians to follow. We should count our blessings rather than our misfortunes.

Such a spirit will cast sunshine everywhere. Such a rich and noble mind will bring into the humblest home a radiance of beauty which no upholsterer or decorator can approach. It is a great thing to be rich in cheerfulness and carry with one an atmosphere of serenity. All such will see “books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything.”

As Christians, let us learn to live in the sunshine and not in the shadows. Let us count constantly our blessings. Just think! have you your eyesight? How much is it worth? What should you take to have your eyes put out that you might see no more while life lasts? How much is eyesight worth to you? Are you grumbling and complaining over your misfortunes and hardships while you have eyesight? Suppose that you were smitten blind. What should you give to have your sight restored, so that you could see again the beauties of nature? Should you give your farm or your bank account? No doubt you would. And yet many who have the inestimable blessing of perfect eyesight, go through life with a continual grouch.

Have you speech? What if you were suddenly smitten dumb and could never be able again to utter a word? Are you thankful for speech? Do you praise God constantly for this great and wonderful blessing which you have? or are you going through life sad and despondent, and using perhaps this great gift to scatter doubt and darkness wherever you go? This is a terrible thing to do. How much is your speech worth to you? If you were dumb, how much should you give to be able to talk and converse as you now do? Doubtless you would give all that you possess; and yet you have this great blessing and never thank God for it.

Can you hear? Are you able to listen to the warble of the birds, the songs of Zion, and the words spoken to you? How much is this blessing worth to you? What should you take to have your hearing permanently destroyed? Yet many who have this great blessing unimpaired never thank God for it, and we hear them continually complaining about this thing and the other. O, what a shame, especially for Christians!

Are you able to walk? Can you run and move about as you desire? Are you thankful for this blessing? What should you take to be paralyzed; to be compelled to sit in a chair and be entirely dependent upon others to move you? What should you give for the power of locomotion and to have the paralysis entirely removed? Should you give all your money, your farms, and your bank accounts? Doubtless you would. Yet many have all these and many other blessings and are never thankful.

Surely if we but counted our blessings, we should be continually happy, and the peace of God that passeth all understanding would fill our hearts and minds. Shall we not count our blessings?

“Count your mercies, such a boundless store, Count your mercies, pressed and running o’er, All your mercies, count them o’er and o’er, Lost in love and wonder at the boundless store.”

G. B. Thompson.