Maybe it's because Christmas is around the corner and one of my favourite movies is "White Christmas", but today I've been walking around school thinking of Bing Crosby singing to me...
When you're worried and you can't sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings.
I don't often have trouble sleeping (unless you count trouble waking up lately!), but the message is a good one just the same...not to mention how lovely it is to have Bing's smooth voice running through your head all day.
I can be such a self-focused person - emphasizing my lack, comparing myself with others, counting my concerns and inadequacies like Scrooge counting his coins (since we're on a Christmas story allusion kick). What was up with Scrooge anyway? He was totally miserable counting his money, but isn't money a blessing? Maybe, like so much else, it depends on whether you notice it and how you view it...
For instance, consider my life:
I woke up this morning (1) in my bed (2) in my house (3) that has electricity, heat, and running water (3, 4, 5). I went downstairs to have breakfast (6) that my amazing, faithful, and strong-leader-of-a-dad (7) made (8) for my hard-working, kind, and generous mom (9) and I. I had a hot shower (10) and put on comfortable, warm, and - I dare-say - fashionable clothes (11), and drove in a vehicle that I don't own but that I can drive for only the price of gas (12) to my local university (13) that just so happens to specialize in the area of study that I'm majoring in (14), and that I can afford to go to (15).
Why can I afford to go? Because I work (16) at a restaurant where I make a base wage (17) plus tips (18), and have a flexible boss that fits my schedule to almost any hours of availability that I give him (19). At this job I work with many of my friends (20), and have a healthy work environment (21). My other job landed in my lap last April (22) and fits directly into my school schedule (23). It gives me opportunity to network with great student leaders at my university (24) and to get to know my professors better (25) - not to mention giving me priority registration every semester (26). Anyway, back to today...
I got to school safely (27) after driving along a gorgeous, and need I mention smooth (28), stretch of highway (29) with a view of the lower Fraser Valley's mountains surrounding me all the way there (30). Along the way I drove past the exit my parents and I took to get to the backside of Sumas Mountain, which we climbed yesterday (31) in stunning weather (32), since we are all healthy enough to do those kinds of activities (33).
So I got to school - a school with small class sizes (34), caring teachers (35), and that is renown in British Columbia for its level of science education. I'm taking a few really tough courses this semester, and as much as I wouldn't like to take them, I've made more than a few great friendships (36) with people in those classes. With those friends and the many other long-term friends (37) from a life-time of blessed relationships (38), I've shared my dreams for the future (39) and talked about practical and feasible ways of accomplishing them (40).
Living in Canada (41), it's really not hard to come up with ways of attaining your dreams. We have government student loans, lines of credit, and other ways of financing education (42), as well as the opportunity for countless scholarships and bursaries from generous donors throughout our region (43). Certainly, it takes some effort to pursue those avenues, but God's actually blessed me with a pretty solid brain (44), so I think I'll be able to figure it out.
Speaking of God (to think I haven't even mentioned Him here yet!), aside from having provided me with every blessing I can think of as well as those that didn't come up today, or that I'm not even aware of (45), He's given me so much more than that. Everything tangible that I can mention has just been a bonus - I went to Uganda over the summer (46) and ran into more than a few individuals with none of what I have, but who would say that they are truly blessed. And they're right. If all of my benefits slipped away right now I would still have so much to be thankful for. I have a Savior of my soul (47) that created me perfectly (48) and who loves me relentlessly (49) to the point of dying a brutal and tortuous death so that I could live (50) - and not just live, but live in freedom (51) from fear and anxiety and anger and bitterness and every other ugly thing that I know could be true of myself without His daily grace and involvement in my life (52).
So what's up with Scrooge? If you're a Dickens fan you already know - the problem with Ebenezer Scrooge was that (spoiler alert!! :) ) he was counting his coins, but he wasn't counting his sheep - I mean...blessings! He didn't realize until the end what a blessing he had, because he never bothered to recognize that it could be meant for others instead of just himself. I don't think Scrooge is alone with that problem...
Like I said, I can be so 'me'-focused. I look so hard at every little detail of my life that may not be perfect, that I forget how blessed I am and don't even think about how I can share what I do have.
So that's my thought for the day - now this little Scrooge is off to catch some shut-eye and dream of ways to share my sheep. After all, I've got 52 at last count!
When you're worried and you can't sleep
Just count your blessings instead of sheep
And you'll fall asleep counting your blessings.
I don't often have trouble sleeping (unless you count trouble waking up lately!), but the message is a good one just the same...not to mention how lovely it is to have Bing's smooth voice running through your head all day.
I can be such a self-focused person - emphasizing my lack, comparing myself with others, counting my concerns and inadequacies like Scrooge counting his coins (since we're on a Christmas story allusion kick). What was up with Scrooge anyway? He was totally miserable counting his money, but isn't money a blessing? Maybe, like so much else, it depends on whether you notice it and how you view it...
For instance, consider my life:
I woke up this morning (1) in my bed (2) in my house (3) that has electricity, heat, and running water (3, 4, 5). I went downstairs to have breakfast (6) that my amazing, faithful, and strong-leader-of-a-dad (7) made (8) for my hard-working, kind, and generous mom (9) and I. I had a hot shower (10) and put on comfortable, warm, and - I dare-say - fashionable clothes (11), and drove in a vehicle that I don't own but that I can drive for only the price of gas (12) to my local university (13) that just so happens to specialize in the area of study that I'm majoring in (14), and that I can afford to go to (15).
Why can I afford to go? Because I work (16) at a restaurant where I make a base wage (17) plus tips (18), and have a flexible boss that fits my schedule to almost any hours of availability that I give him (19). At this job I work with many of my friends (20), and have a healthy work environment (21). My other job landed in my lap last April (22) and fits directly into my school schedule (23). It gives me opportunity to network with great student leaders at my university (24) and to get to know my professors better (25) - not to mention giving me priority registration every semester (26). Anyway, back to today...
I got to school safely (27) after driving along a gorgeous, and need I mention smooth (28), stretch of highway (29) with a view of the lower Fraser Valley's mountains surrounding me all the way there (30). Along the way I drove past the exit my parents and I took to get to the backside of Sumas Mountain, which we climbed yesterday (31) in stunning weather (32), since we are all healthy enough to do those kinds of activities (33).
So I got to school - a school with small class sizes (34), caring teachers (35), and that is renown in British Columbia for its level of science education. I'm taking a few really tough courses this semester, and as much as I wouldn't like to take them, I've made more than a few great friendships (36) with people in those classes. With those friends and the many other long-term friends (37) from a life-time of blessed relationships (38), I've shared my dreams for the future (39) and talked about practical and feasible ways of accomplishing them (40).
Living in Canada (41), it's really not hard to come up with ways of attaining your dreams. We have government student loans, lines of credit, and other ways of financing education (42), as well as the opportunity for countless scholarships and bursaries from generous donors throughout our region (43). Certainly, it takes some effort to pursue those avenues, but God's actually blessed me with a pretty solid brain (44), so I think I'll be able to figure it out.
Speaking of God (to think I haven't even mentioned Him here yet!), aside from having provided me with every blessing I can think of as well as those that didn't come up today, or that I'm not even aware of (45), He's given me so much more than that. Everything tangible that I can mention has just been a bonus - I went to Uganda over the summer (46) and ran into more than a few individuals with none of what I have, but who would say that they are truly blessed. And they're right. If all of my benefits slipped away right now I would still have so much to be thankful for. I have a Savior of my soul (47) that created me perfectly (48) and who loves me relentlessly (49) to the point of dying a brutal and tortuous death so that I could live (50) - and not just live, but live in freedom (51) from fear and anxiety and anger and bitterness and every other ugly thing that I know could be true of myself without His daily grace and involvement in my life (52).
So what's up with Scrooge? If you're a Dickens fan you already know - the problem with Ebenezer Scrooge was that (spoiler alert!! :) ) he was counting his coins, but he wasn't counting his sheep - I mean...blessings! He didn't realize until the end what a blessing he had, because he never bothered to recognize that it could be meant for others instead of just himself. I don't think Scrooge is alone with that problem...
Like I said, I can be so 'me'-focused. I look so hard at every little detail of my life that may not be perfect, that I forget how blessed I am and don't even think about how I can share what I do have.
So that's my thought for the day - now this little Scrooge is off to catch some shut-eye and dream of ways to share my sheep. After all, I've got 52 at last count!
Wow!!! This bring tears to my eyes and gives me lots to think about! How wonderful He is who gave us life and how we can so easily let the cloud of wants and needs get in the way of what we have been blessed with and what we can do for others who have way less or who just need a friend.
ReplyDeleteSonia V.