COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS

Stop.
Close your eyes. Breathe deeply. Consider all your blessings. Let them fill your heart. Offer thanks to God for these gifts.

Listen.
Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; my strength is exalted in my God.” – 1 Samuel 2:1a

Reflect.
After everything Hannah has been through – infertility, humiliation, suffering, struggle – she finally sees the resolution of everything she’s ever wanted. In the birth of Samuel, God’s promises are fulfilled. Hannah likewise makes good on her promise to give Samuel right back to God. Instead of singing a lament as she says goodbye to him, Hannah sings praise to God.

The song she sings praises God’s goodness, especially God’s goodness to those who have been forgotten and ignored. She doesn’t think she has lost Samuel; rather, God’s goodness abounds even more as Hannah returns the gift of Samuel back to God. She sees herself as one who had been forgotten by many but seen fully by God. She can sing with joy because of this gift, even as she returns the gift of her son to the God who gave him to her.

When people remind us to count our blessings, it’s not because we are meant to hoard and pile up material goods for their own sake. When we count our blessings, we put each one in the column of God’s good gifts. In remembering what God has given us, we remember that God knows and loves us always.

Pray.
My heart praises you, God, and you give me courage and strength. Thank you for all you have given me. I count each of my blessings, and I turn them over to you. Amen.

Carry On.
As you count your blessings today, write them down. Keep the list someplace where you can revisit it when you feel forgotten or lonely. Remember God’s goodness.