[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fcount-your-mini-blessings":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fcount-your-mini-blessings-surround":81},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":10,"columnName":63,"date":64,"description":16,"extension":65,"image":66,"meta":67,"minRead":68,"navigation":69,"path":70,"postType":71,"publication":72,"publicationUrl":66,"seo":73,"stem":74,"topics":75,"__hash__":80},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fcount-your-mini-blessings.md","Count Your Mini Blessings",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9],"Psalms",{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":59},"minimark",[13,17,20,23,26,29,32,35,38,41,44,47,50,53,56],[14,15,16],"p",{},"When my children were small, their mealtime prayers were remarkably specific. We taught them to pray with their hands folded and eyes closed, but occasionally they would lift an eyelid and sneak a peek at the dinner table. Lest any of God's blessings should go unmentioned, they prayed something like this: \"Dear God, thank you for the meat loaf, and the mashed potatoes, and the rolls.\" Then (after a moment of hesitation), \"Thank you for the brussels sprouts, even though most of us don't like them. Amen.\"",[14,18,19],{},"We smile when a child thanks God for little blessings—a sunny day, a healthy pet, a good day at school. Uncomplicated by grownup worries, a child's uncluttered gratitude seems a bit naive. But gratitude isn't just for kids. In fact, older folks have even more reasons to be grateful.",[14,21,22],{},"The psalmist urged, \"Forget not all his benefits\" (Psalm 103:2)—but little blessings are easy to forget amid the high-pressure demands of grownup life. C. S. Lewis wrote, \"We must not be too high-minded. I fancy we may sometimes be deterred from small prayers by a sense of our own dignity rather than of God's.\"",[14,24,25],{},"Have we become too jaded to appreciate God's smaller blessings? If we can't thank the Lord for meat loaf and mashed potatoes, will we remember to thank him for the bigger things—our nation, our family, our church, our hope in Christ?",[14,27,28],{},"This Thanksgiving, I'm determined to thank the Lord for my mini blessings—the little things I too easily overlook.",[14,30,31],{},"Cold, clear water to drink. A hot shower in the morning.",[14,33,34],{},"Autumn scenery to enjoy. Eyeglasses to help me see it better.",[14,36,37],{},"Friends to call when I need advice or prayer. Phones that make calls possible.",[14,39,40],{},"The rich flavors of my mother's homemade noodles and my wife's apple pie. Taste buds that enable me to enjoy good foods like these.",[14,42,43],{},"The smell that floats through a church building shortly before a carry-in dinner, mingling the aromas of coffee and casseroles and cake with the sweet sounds of laughter and cheerful conversation.",[14,45,46],{},"The soft wisp of my daughter's hair across my face as she kisses my cheek. Fresh air that fills my lungs as I walk outdoors before the sun rises on a chilly morning.",[14,48,49],{},"Times when I've made a mess of things, but God redeemed the situations anyway and used my mistakes to help me grow.",[14,51,52],{},"David prayed, \"Many, O Lord, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare\" (Psalm 40:5). We can't count all our blessings; there are too many of them.",[14,54,55],{},"But with childlike awe, why not lift an eyelid and give it a try?",[14,57,58],{},"Start with the little things.",{"title":60,"searchDepth":61,"depth":61,"links":62},"",2,[],"From the Editor's Desk","1997-11-23","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fcount-your-mini-blessings","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":16},"articles\u002Fcount-your-mini-blessings",[76,77,78,79],"Biblical Theology","Intergenerational Ministry","Spiritual Formation","Church Leadership","nXq99X2OdWWA-1G1eTIgLkfx4zNvVjzwf2mbUgpzm0k",[82,87],{"title":83,"path":84,"stem":85,"description":86,"children":-1},"Commitment Coast to Coast","\u002Farticles\u002Fcommitment-coast-to-coast","articles\u002Fcommitment-coast-to-coast","Not long ago, in an interesting quirk of scheduling, I spoke at a singles retreat in Florida followed by a senior adult conference on the Oregon coast a few days later. One week I gazed at the Atlantic Ocean and moss-covered cypress trees near Jacksonville; the next week I hiked across sand dunes overlooking the Pacific and toured the cheese factory in Tillemook.",{"title":88,"path":89,"stem":90,"description":88,"children":-1},"Crumbs in the Jelly Jar","\u002Farticles\u002Fcrumbs-in-the-jelly-jar","articles\u002Fcrumbs-in-the-jelly-jar"]