Today, take time to count your blessings

The story of the 10 lepers in Luke 17 makes me feel guilty.

Calling to Jesus from a distance, they begged him to have mercy on them. Yet, after their leprosy disappeared, only one of them “came back to Jesus, shouting, ‘Praise God, I’m healed!'” He fell at Jesus’ feet and thanked him (Luke 17:15, NLT).

Jesus then said, “Didn’t I heal 10 men? Where are the other nine?”

I’ve often wondered how the other nine could be so boneheaded. I mean, they were healed by the Son of God!

That’s when the guilt hits me. How many times have I sent up hurried prayers for help and safety as I white-knuckle my way home on a snowy day, only to forget the “Thank you, Lord!” as soon as I exit the car?

How often I’ve taken for granted the very act of breathing until a cold makes every breath a struggle. An old Joni Mitchell song says, “You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”

Several years ago, I watched a program called “TotaLee Fit” on TBN. It featured Lee Haney, eight-time Mr. Olympia, who offered fitness tips, physical and spiritual, usually with a guest athlete or pastor. During this episode, Lee told of driving to a speaking engagement when he was suddenly so overwhelmed by the splendor of the scenery that he had to pull over and say, “Thank You, God, for this beautiful moment in time!”

In a recent object lesson, our pastor told of two angels sent to earth, one to collect all the prayer requests, one to collect all the praise. When they returned, the praise angel had one small bucket, while the prayer angel was burdened with several tons of prayer requests. It’s easy to offer petitions to God for family, friends, country and health, but how often do we take time to count our blessings?

The last time I looked, “criticism, whining and complaining” weren’t listed among the gifts given to believers in Romans 12:7-8: ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, ruling, showing mercy. Nope, no criticizing, whining, complaining. But I’m so good at those! And I find the more I indulge in them, the better I get. As the old adage goes: “Two natures beat within my breast; one is cursed, the other blessed. The one I love, the one I hate, the one I feed will dominate.” I knew I was in trouble when my father bought me a souvenir magnet home from one of his journeys. It reads “Thou shalt not whine.” Ouch!

My cousin in California once told me, “I’m so blessed to be a Christian and to live in America.” She, obviously, didn’t get the whining gene.

So I made a pact with myself to be less critical and more aware of my blessings. Being a Christian is No. 1. I’m blessed by my association with Jesus Christ and my connection with other believers. Being part of a loving church family is No. 2. Sometimes when I think of all the people who are praying for me at any given moment, I’m humbled – another blessing.

I became aware of what I call “Lee Haney moments,” those incredible vistas that happen only for a few seconds. The sun hitting the snow at just the right angle and covering the ground with a sprinkling of rainbow-hued glitter. A flock of geese flying overhead as the sun sets, their downy, white feathers taking on the look of pure gold plastered against a gunmetal blue sky. The double rainbow that spanned our house during a violent storm. All breathtaking.

The Bible tells us, “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Notice it doesn’t say for everything. It says in everything. When looking at the big picture of all that’s going on in the world around us, it may be hard to be thankful.

That’s the time to pull it in. Make it closer to home, more personal, a moment in time, just being alive, knowing that we’re held securely in our Lord and Savior’s precious grip and he’s never going to let us go (Romans 8:38).

Paul reminds us in Philippians 4:8 to “fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (New Living Translation). And once you’ve thought about it, give God the praise.

Brenda Norris is assistant Sunday school leader and choir director at the West Lubec Methodist Church. She may be reached at bdnreligion@bangordailynews.net. Voices is a weekly commentary by Maine people who explore issues affecting spirituality and religious life.