Count Your Blessings
Sharon W. Betters
TODAY’S TREASURE
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God
Dear Friends,
This week we start our summer “What She Said” series. Over the next six weeks, you will meet women whose writings and messages have moved me in such a way that my response has been, “What she said!” I’m eager for you to be encouraged by their messages as well.
Many years ago, I opened the back door to welcome our dear friend into our home. She was not much older than me, and grief ravaged her face. Tears rolled the instant she saw me. For an instant, I feared my newly widowed friend would never recover from the sudden loss of her beloved husband. I finished preparing dinner as she and Chuck talked quietly about grief, the Lord’s promises, and how to face each day when her purpose for life seemed gone. A year later, she continued to deeply grieve, unable to even put away his clothes. Is there hope for such a devastating event?
This week we welcome back Patsy Kuipers as our first guest writer for this “What She Said Part 5” series, who declares there is such a hope. She speaks from a place of experience after her thirty-nine-year-old husband, Ray, died suddenly from a heart attack, leaving her alone with two young daughters to raise.
One of Ray’s favorite pastimes was gardening, and after his death, Patsy discovered beautiful evidence of his work throughout their yard. Their yard became a sanctuary for private grief and a place to watch new life pushing through the damp earth. Throughout this week’s devotional, Patsy beautifully shares her pathway of experiencing God’s tender love and provision for her daughters and her.
MARKINC Ministries produces Daily Treasure. Our vision is to offer help and hope that turns hearts toward Jesus. One way we do that is by introducing people further along in life’s journey who have experienced devastating events yet call back, “God is sovereign, and you can trust Him.” Our Help & Hope podcast regularly offers guidance, wisdom, and encouragement from people broken by this world who declare the Lord is redeeming their pain through His presence and love.
That’s why I’m so eager to share Patsy’s writing with you. She paints beautiful scenes with her words that will slow down your racing heart and encourage you to rest in our precious Lord.
Treasured by Him,
Sharon
LIFE-GIVING ENCOURAGEMENT
Our family attended a small Orthodox Presbyterian Church when I was a young child. My mother and grandmother were charter members. Sunday night services were considered “informal” and included a hymn sing where we could call out our requests. My best friend and I always picked the most upbeat hymns, typically never sung in the more formal morning worship service. An often repeated request was Count Your Blessings. As we prepare for this week’s devotionals, where Patsy will share the blessings she is experiencing, find a quiet place with a pen and journal in hand. Count your blessings, record them one by one, and it might surprise you what the Lord has done!
Count Your Blessings
Jonathan Oatman 1897
When upon life's billows you are tempest-tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly, And you will keep singing as the days go by.
So, amid the conflict, whether great or small, Do not be disheartened, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey's end.
Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, see what God hath done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sharon W. Betters is a mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, pastor’s wife, and cofounder of MARKINC Ministries, where she is the Director of Resource Development. Sharon is the author of several books, including Treasures of Encouragement, Treasures in Darkness, and co-author with Susan Hunt of Aging with Grace. She is the co-host of the Help & Hope podcast and writes Daily Treasure, an online devotional.
For more from Daily Treasure please visit MARKINC.ORG.
Originally published Sunday, 16 October 2022.
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