There’s an old hymn that says, “Count your blessings, name them one by one.” I’ve been thinking about that this week. It is natural for many of us (as well as enemy-driven for most of us) to focus on the negative. We can spend time fretting over what we don’t have, don’t like, don’t want. And if we aren’t stressing over what we don’t have, we are worrying about what we do have - poor health, a troubled marriage, wayward kids, a rude boss, and the list goes on...

I wrote a note to myself this week and put it on my desk. It simply said, ‘Think about the good things.’ While it is so easy to concentrate on the bad, I found that it takes some effort to focus on the good.

Scripture tells us (commands us actually) to give thanks in all things. That doesn’t mean that we are to give thanks for all things. But rather, in spite of all things, we can still give thanks. Why? Because our trust and hope is in God. And if He is for us, who can be against us? This week I made a list for myself of things that I can (and should be) thankful to God for providing. I want to live life focused on the good. I want to be a thankful person. I want to be a content person; not someone always longing for more. 1 Timothy 6:6, “But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.”