It's amazing how much can happen in a year. A year ago today I received a phone call telling me my husband had been killed in a car accident. It's hard to believe I've been a widow for a year.
I've reflected a lot on the person I've become since getting that call. I've felt peaceful and calm all day today, which is a miracle and a blessing. Rather than crying and wishing I had a different lot in life, my mind has been filled with the words to the hymn "Count Your Many Blessings."
I've reflected a lot on the person I've become since getting that call. I've felt peaceful and calm all day today, which is a miracle and a blessing. Rather than crying and wishing I had a different lot in life, my mind has been filled with the words to the hymn "Count Your Many Blessings."
When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings; name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings; every doubt will fly,
And you will be singing as the days go by.
So amid the conflict, whether great or small,
Do not be discouraged; God is over all.
Count your many blessings; angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey's end.
Count your blessings; Name them one by one.
Count your many blessings; See what God hath done.
For some reason, that song really hit home this week – especially today. I'd be lying if I said I never felt like I'd been tossed around in the storm of life or that I was being asked to go through too much. Richard G. Scott addresses this well. "Just when all seems to be going right, challenges often come in multiple doses applied simultaneously. . . they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more. To get you from where you are to where He wants you to be requires a lot of stretching. This life is an experience in trust in Jesus Christ." ("Trust in the Lord")
Life tosses us in a tempest, but the Lord is there to calm the storm. Everyone has burdens, but the Lord is there to help carry the load. No matter the conflict, God is there. Angels WILL attend and help and comfort will be given. Could we ask for better blessings?
What good does it do to sit and only think about all the negative in your life? I have plenty of reason to complain. I became a widow after seven and a half months of a marriage filled with trials and a husband facing multiple health challenges. I unexpectedly lost my dad 3 months later. Like everyone else, I have personal trials. In spite of all that, I have so many blessings: a fantastic job that I love, an amazing family, great friends, and a testimony of the gospel. I know that families are eternal. What wonderful blessings!!!
I dare you to stay discouraged and depressed while listing all the many blessings in your life. If you can't think of anything, start small. Perhaps the sun is shining. Maybe you got to sleep in. Perhaps you saw the first tulip blooming in your yard. These are all blessings. Start a list and see what God has done for you.
I am not wallowing in self pity today. Instead, I have been filled with an overwhelming feeling of gratitude and love! I am so blessed. I've been a widow for a year, but I've survived. I'm stronger than I was last year at this time. I know more than I did a year ago. I feel like I'm starting a new beginning, and what better time to start anew than spring. I know Reed and my dad are OK, and amazingly enough, I know that I will be OK, too!
Count your many blessings; name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.
