I
have
two lists. One is a list
of problems and
issues that I need to fix. The
other list
contains all the good things in my life.
The good things list is much longer than the problems list. However, it is the problems
list that gets
most of my attention. As I
listen to people,
it is obvious that they are concentrated on their problems list
too.
Contrary
to what we are often told, listing your blessings is not going to
change your focus. Even
the most depressed person can list the
things that should bring them joy.
The
list is obvious! If we
want to change our
perspective, we need to add another, often missing, element.
Most
of
our problems come with a feeling!
We
are scared, worried, angry or nervous and those feelings make the
problems seem
much bigger and much more real. It’s
the
feeling that grabs our attention! Therefore,
if we would like a different perspective, we need to learn to do
the same thing
with our thankfulness list. Instead
of
just making the list, we need to feel those blessings.
That
is
exactly the point of Psalm 136. This
psalm
does not teach anything new. It
simply
goes over the history of God’s people, highlighting some very
well-known facts. However,
after each one of them, the
worshippers are encouraged to say, “His love endures forever!” Twenty-six times in
twenty-six verses they repeat
that phrase so that they begin to feel the blessing of God’s care
and his
goodness.
In
Philippians
4 Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again, rejoice!”
(Verse 4). He then tells
them to meditate on what is true,
noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy
(verses 8-9). Rejoice is a
feeling word! They need to
think about the right things,
but they must also feel that list. They
need to let the good sink in. A
heart-level
change is required.
Making
a
list of blessings is good.
Feeling
that list is essential!
Comments