Counting Your Blessings

 Has anyone ever told you to count your blessings?  Have you ever said that to anyone?  How many of us would add the trials in our lives to that list of blessings?  The apostle Paul had some interesting things to say about that.

Paul write in Romans 5:3, "And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also...".  I'll save the rest of that verse for later.  Again in 2 Corinthians 7:4, "great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation."

OK, so what's he so happy about?  Just think of the things this guy went through!  There were stonings, beatings and imprisonment.  Snake bites and shipwrecks, to name a few.  We might ask, how can I possibly be expected to count all the bad things in my life as blessings?  Let's take a look at the purpose for the trials in our lives and maybe we'll see why.

God's word says that trials have a reason.  (Here's the rest of that verse from before), "knowing that tribulation worketh patience;" (Rom 5:3b).  Paul goes on in verses 4 and 5, "And patience, experience, and experience, hope:  and hope maketh not ashamed; (why) because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."

Notice the progression here.  Through our trials God gives us the patience and experience and hope to not be ashamed, these are all good traits that God is teaching us.  I am not a patient man, so I used to pray for patience.  Bad idea.  Just as soon as I would get done praying for patience, God would allow something to test that patience.  I would be left wondering what just happened.  Years later, my patience has steadily been increasing.  I don't lose it nearly as quickly as I once did.  Now I can see that God was answering my prayers and building patience in me.  He is building character!  (What ever happened to good character, by the way?)  And the point of molding us is to be conformed into the image of His Son.  We are a block of wood and God, Himself, is chipping away all the parts that DO NOT look like Jesus.  Now we can tell others what God has done in our lives!

These are things to count as blessings, are they not?  Paul counted himself worthy to suffer in the name of the Lord.  We are worthy because He loves us enough to train us in the way we should go, to mold us, to make us the best servants of the Lord we can be, to make us like Christ.  Without Him helping us along, we are hopeless.  (Note again Romans 5:4).

Our trials are also learning tools to help steer us back under the direction of God.  Sometimes, no, a lot, no, most of the time I try to do things using my own wisdom and relying on myself, doing it my way.  I have found that the teaching of patience gives me the experience to hope for the future in the ever open arms of God.  I know that God will accept my humble return and do it His way.  James says to "let patience have her perfect work that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."  1 Peter 1:6-9 teaches us that trials purify our faith.  Isaiah 48:10 says that trials will be used to chasten us.  And all of this, in the end, is to glorify God (1 Peter 4:12-16).

So, next time you sit down to count your blessings, count ALL of them.  God bless.