Count your many blessings......see what God has done!

Today has been a sadder day, by all accounts. I've been reading more cancer sites and learning about what's down the road with chemo. Yesterday, I made my first visits to online wig stores. While I was waiting to have blood drawn at the hospital, I saw an older couple walk through the lobby. The husband was sweetly walking with his arm at his wife's elbow, guiding her along. The wife had on a turban, and it was quite evident that her hair was gone. "That'll be me in a few weeks, " I thought. Adding to this, Kathryn has been playing Bing Crosby singing Irish ballads all day; while I love this Bing CD, the songs make me miss my dad (the way he used to be, whistling "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling").

So, I decided that wallowing in self pity is NOT what God wants from me. But, what does He want?

• Psalm 92:1 - "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High"
• Psalm 136:1 - "O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever."
• 1 Thessalonians 5:18 - "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
• Psalm 33:20-22 - "Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee."
• Psalm 118:24 - "This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."
• Philippians 4:4 - "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice."

Obviously, there is a pattern here. I decided to sit down, think about another hymn, "Count Your Blessings," and really take a look at what has been going on these past few weeks. What is amazing is that God has been so loving, merciful and great.....I am rich beyond means.

• Michael's job has provided us with income for many, many months.....income that has met our needs time and time again, even though we sometimes wonder how He will provide. Now, the barns seem to be bursting at the seams as far as work goes....what a blessing!
• Last January 1 (2005), after a couple of years of being paid as an independent contractor, the company put Michael on salary, providing health insurance coverage we had no way of knowing, at that time, that we would so greatly benefit from....what a blessing!
• Last school year, we decided to make a rather significant change in our home schooling curriculum. We had been using a unit study based plan which required a lot of planning and interaction from me. The change freed up my time and gave the girls an opportunity to become more responsible in motivating themselves......now we can see God's hand in providing this blessing, too!
• We are attending a church that not only has a very loving and caring congregation (as evidenced by the gifts of love I have been receiving) but God placed there a woman who is a 10 year survivor of the exact type of cancer I have. She has been a great source of information and encouragement for me - a true blessing!
• 13 years ago, God moved us to the Houston area. We are living by one of the top cancer centers in the country (M.D. Anderson); my oncologist practiced there for 15 years and still confers with her colleagues there. I told Michael I wouldn't ever complain about living in Houston again; while I still miss Chicago, I now consider it a blessing to be here!
• While I have always considered Michael and the children blessings, I have such a greater appreciation of the time I have with them.....because it is apparent that nothing is guaranteed
• Most importantly, I know that I have the blessing of eternal life, made possible by the One who bore all of my grief and sorrows long before I was ever on this earth. What more could I ask for?

"Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done." ~Amen!

posted by Kim @ 6:17 PM