Counting Our Blessings
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” James 1:17 NIV
Hey friend!
Happy Thanksgiving!
We have so much to be thankful for, don’t we? I want you to know that I’m so very thankful for you! You are a precious gift to me, and I thank God for you.
Having a thankful heart shouldn’t be confined to a certain day of the year. While it’s great to reflect on the actual day we celebrate the holiday, it’s important to develop a heart of thanksgiving each and every day of the year. We all need time to pause and just reflect on our blessings, and marriage is one of those blessings.
Let’s stop for a minute to clarify something - if you are in an abusive relationship, please seek help. Abuse is not a blessing and shouldn’t be tolerated. God never intended for relationships to be abusive on any level.
If you have been married for any length of time, you are keenly aware that the “new” eventually wears off, and “comfortable” becomes a daily norm. Don’t get me wrong - comfortable is wonderful but we can get so comfortable that we lose sight of one of God’s greatest blessings and gifts.
I want to encourage you to take a moment to reflect on your marriage. What is it about your husband that really makes you smile? What are some qualities in your spouse that you are thankful for? See, it’s easy to focus on all the things that our husbands do that drive us insane, but I want to encourage you to shift your thoughts to think about all the things about your man that you are grateful for.
When we pivot our thoughts to count our blessings in our marriage and take the time to view our husbands as the gift he truly is, we defeat the enemy all while bringing glory to God. Satan is always trying to direct our eyes to the negative instead of the positive. Let’s stop the enemy in his tracks as we focus on the gift of our husband that God has given us and lift our voices in thanksgiving to our almighty God.
God,
Thank you for your outpouring of blessings in my marriage and thank you for the gift of my husband that you have given me. Please help me to focus more on your blessings and not on the negative. The enemy wants to constantly pull us apart but Lord, I pray for a hedge of protection over my marriage. Draw us both closer to you and closer to each other. Give me a heart of thanksgiving every day. You are so good and I praise you for your goodness and love. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Dig Deeper:
“Through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips that acknowledge his name. Hebrews 13:15 ESV
Reflection:
1. Make a list of all the things you are thankful for in your husband and in your marriage.
2. Meditate on your blessings list.
3. Thank God for His many blessings in your marriage, and make sure you tell your husband how grateful you are – He needs to hear what a blessing he is to you.