faith unfaded

I didn’t start counting my blessings when my life got better. My life got better because I started counting my blessings.

I remember singing the song in Sunday School as a child: Count your many blessings, name them one by one…

It’s easy to count your blessings as a child. But as you get older and job pressures and financial difficulties take hold, parenting zaps patience, and heartache arrives, it becomes easier to keep track of complaints instead.

Psalm 66 reminds us to count our blessings, not our troubles:

Shout for joy to God, all the earth;
    sing the glory of his name;
    give to him glorious praise!
Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
    So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you.
All the earth worships you
    and sings praises to you;
    they sing praises to your name.” v. 1-4

Seemed like the more grateful I was for what I had, the more the Lord gave me. It makes sense. Wouldn’t you rather give a gift that was happily received over one where you never even got confirmation that the gift arrived?

And I never ever take the blessings of God for granted. Sometimes the best thing that can happen to a believer with neglected faith is to hit rock bottom. One often must go down to truly appreciate being lifted up.

When I first heard Seph Schlueter’s song last year, it hit so close to home. It was almost autobiographical, and was a reminder to never stop counting my blessings nor to forget from where they come.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.
Psalm 121:1-2

Counting My Blessings (Seph Schlueter, 2025)

It’s like it was yesterday
I was a praying for a miracle
Scared to have a little hope
And now looking back today
Seeing all the things You’ve done
I can’t even add them up
One, two, three up to infinity
I’d run out of numbers
Before I could thank You for everything
God, I’m still counting my blessings
For all that You’ve done in my life
The more that I look in the details
The more of Your goodness I find
Father on this side of heaven
I know that I’ll run out of time
But I will keep counting my blessings
Knowing I can’t count that high

I will never stop praising His name, and counting the many blessings He has bestowed upon me, with gratitude and thanksgiving.

https://youtu.be/GsIiQN9Lhm0?si=DFzOfvID22Uez-SY