We hear about counting our blessings even from people who are not Christ's followers. It is uplifting and smile inducing to look at the positives rather than the negatives. We read about thanking God for our blessings; we sing about thanking God for our blessings, and we teach our children to thank God for our blessings. I have even posted several times about counting our blessings. Yet still, I don't think we can ever get enough of this prescription for a more joyful life. Counting our blessings, looking at the brighter side, and focusing on the positives need to be done daily. It all depends on perspective...the way we view trials...the way we roll with the punches...with a cheerful attitude, the good can outweigh the bad!
With my girls still suffering from the longest illness they have ever had, I was down for the count this morning. They have both been pretty sick over the last few days. And although we have weathered many illnesses, this has been the longest they have ever had fevers and been this puny. It is hard to watch our children suffer. It hurts me as a mom to not to be able to fix this problem and take away their pain.
Today has thankfully been better as it has progressed, and I am praying that my oldest daughter will be returning to school tomorrow. But it is still hard to comprehend that she had to be out for so long. She missed a lot of fun things. She missed a lot of important lessons. I struggled with a quiet "Why?" this morning. Why was she having to miss for so long? But, I quietly heard "Count your blessings!"
The funny thing...as I pulled out the girls' devotion book it was another devotion about counting their blessings. It always happens! When I need it most, I am always reminded of looking at the good in some form. The devotion posed the question, "How long would it take to count your blessings?" My daughter's response, "Like 40 years, Mom!" I laughed! But the real answer, we can never count them all. The blessings are endless.
I will never really know the whole reason for this sickness and why we have been confined to our house for so long (and yes we are all climbing the walls today!), but I know there are reasons. So I started listing the positives...
1 - God allowed the girls to wait until exactly October 1st for their sickness to set in. This also happened to be the date of when our new, and oh so much better, insurance kicked in. So we were able to use the new plan to visit the doctor this week.
2 - I told you we had a busy weekend this past weekend. At least the girls were not sick then. We didn't have to miss our first field trip or our trip to the county fair with my parents. We were able to see my husband's bother and his family before their big move across the country. We were able to go to church on Sunday.
3 - Although my husband's new job is quite a drive, at least it is a drive. He was able to go back and forth this week and help out. If he would have still been in Florida, that would not have even been an option!
4 - Hanging out and watching movies can be fun and relaxing. We made pudding and homemade Popsicles. We watched TV and colored. We snuggled and read books and magazines. We even played a new games.
I am sure I could find more positives, but this was a good start!
Today's Verse
"Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer." Romans 12:12
I am rejoicing today in the hope of the positives and the fact that God has helped us through this week. I am praying for patience during this trial, and I am continuing in prayer that my girls will feel completely better by the weekend. I am thankful for any chance I have to count my blessings and look at the bright side...we can always learn and be thankful when we look at the positives!
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