Count your blessings Life lesson from Dr. Seuss’ book Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?
“When you think things are bad, when you feel sour and blue, when you start to get mad… you should do what I do! Just tell yourself, Duckie, you’re really quite lucky! Some people are much more… oh, ever so much more… oh, muchly much-much more unlucky than you!” -Dr. Seuss
Our last book is Did I ever tell you how lucky you are? In this story, a wise man is telling a young boy what he should do if he is to ever feel sad or angry. The wise man tells the young boy that he should start to think of all the unlucky things he does not have to deal with. Throughout the book the wise man describes life situations that would be unlucky to be in. This book challenged me to focus on all the good I have in my life and less on all the negative in my life. The truth is everyone faces hard times in some way. No one is exempted from difficult moments. However, the negative should never consume our thoughts. Be intentional about finding joy in each day.
A few years ago I was challenged at a conference to write down 1000 things that I was thankful for. This challenge really helped me. It allowed me to stop thinking of all the negative in my life and focus on all the good in my life. It’s so easy to be consumed with the things that make life challenging. If we are not careful life can start to feel so challenging that life is no longer enjoyable. My fear is that I will wake up one day and realize that I missed out on so much of God’s goodness because I chose to live in a rut. We don’t have time to live in a rut. Life is too short.
“This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalms 118:24 NLT
Regardless of what we are going through, we have reason to rejoice. I’m not saying that we will never have a bad moment or day. I am saying that all our days should not be so consumed with negative that we never experience Joy. I hope that if this is the case for you that you seek out the reason and a solution so that you can experience all the joy around you.
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 NLT
Challenge: Find an empty notebook and this next week find 100 blessings that you can write down. Watch how this activity changes your perspective on life. I can’t wait to share with you my list in my next blog.
Shine4Him 