“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”(Ephesians 3:20-21)
Anyone dreaming of a White Christmas in my neck of the woods met with utter disappointment yesterday. Record-high 70-degree temperatures shut off the fireplace. The only thing blowing cold air came from the air conditioner, not the wind.
Others had their dreams dashed when what they hoped for didn’t appear under the Christmas tree. ‘Tis the season when dreaming of something like in the classic song White Christmas doesn’t always come true.
“White Christmas” may be one of the most famous Christmas songs from the movie of the same name. But another lesser-known song from the film could be the cure to the holiday blues of disappointment.
“When I’m worried, and I can’t sleep
I count my blessings instead of sheep
And I fall asleep counting my blessings
When my bankroll is getting small
I think of when I had none at all
And I fall asleep counting my blessings.”
“Count Your Blessings(Instead of Sheep) penned by Irving Berlin, makes no mention of Christmas, yet it is wildly popular during the season. He described the inspiration for the song to the head of the movie studio in a letter,
“As I say in the lyrics, sometime ago, after the worst kind of a sleepless night, my doctor came to see me and after a lot of self-pity, belly-aching and complaining about my insomnia, he looked at me and said, ‘speaking of doing something about your insomnia, did you ever try counting your blessings?”
Our blessings outweigh what we dream of and do not have. Shifting our focus from the negative to the positive aligns us with God and helps us see our greatest blessing. Jesus was born into this world so that He could be born into our hearts. He offers far more than our self-pity, belly-aching hearts’ desires. He tells us in John 10:10, “I came that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.”
This Christmas, accept the only gift that matters, a relationship with Jesus here on earth and in eternity. He offers more than we dream, ask, or imagine.
What gets in the way of seeing God’s good work in your life?
How can you shift your thinking to see His blessings in your life?
IT'S A HARnDen LIFE... 