What things do you love about this life? What things make having a body and 5 senses such a wonderful thing?
I love the soft sigh of a heavy snowfall on a still night, as those goose feather snowflakes settle against each other. I love the sound of the snow squeaking under my feet in a super cold Montana night.
I love pancakes! And holding a purring cat. The feel of a horse between my knees. The tug on the line of a fighting trout. Holding one of my children or my Forever Sweetheart close. I loved feeling Joann's hand brush against my back as she touched me on her way by...just to touch me.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
Most of us start our prayers with a salutation to our Heavenly Father and then, some form of "Thank you for my blessings". It's pretty standard and kind of repetitive. Kind of like: "Dear Mom. how are you? I am fine." in your letters home. Quickly followed by a request for more money from Mom.
My point here is a simple question. Do we actually have the feeling in our hearts of the true blessings for which we thank Him? Or, is this just a preamble.
Mathew 6: 7-8 "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him."
When you thank God for your blessings, take a moment to at least think to yourself what some of those blessings might be. Here are some more:
Can you clip your own nails? Can you get in and out of the shower without help? How about just being able to get in and out of BED without help? Can you feed yourself?
I've seen what it was like to NOT be able to do these things and I learned how many incredible blessings we take for granted. Take Nothing for granted!
There are a lot of things contained in that simple phrase: "Thank you for my blessings". Like most of us, I remember saying this by rote, without any real concept of what blessings really are.
The next time you say a prayer, think about all the things that Heavenly Father has given us. If you really think about it, you'll realize that it's EVERYthing. Our very lives. The smell of turkey, roasting in the oven. The sighing of a breeze in the tops of the tall pines. The feel of the sun on your shoulders.
We enjoy all these things simply because God created an Earth on which we can live and allowed us to have physical bodies here; to learn, to experience and to grow.
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/music/songs/count-your-blessings?lang=eng
