Fall is my absolute favorite season of the year because the weather is crisp and beautiful. It’s that lovely transition ending the heat of the summer and anticipating the cold of the winter. It’s that perfect “in between” with the brilliant blue skies and brisk air. These months are my favorite months to go for long walks. My feet pay for this every year…but the rewards are amazingly worth it. I have walked with various friends throughout these weeks, and I have walked many times alone. Both are precious to me.
Walking alone is my favorite time to pray, ponder, and plan all that life has laid out for me. It’s something I do quite often to keep me grounded. When I don’t get enough of this devotional time…I start to crumble. I need it. I must have that precious alone time for myself to center my world and sharpen my focus. Whether you have a little time or a lot, I really believe it is a critical piece to our peace.
So on a walk one day, I decided I was going to identify 100 blessings in my life.
Yes. 100. Blessings.
I often start with some kind of focus on my walks. That helps me use the time productively. Sometimes I pick about 3 or 4 people to pray for. Other times I decide I need to think about blog post ideas, or plan the upcoming week’s events, or listen to an audio book. You get the idea…
For this particular walk, I decided to count my blessings.
100 of them.
Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8
I ventured through the woods and winding pathways acknowledging more and more blessings in my life. It was so easy to do! I counted on my fingers and came up with a “system” of tens to track them. I found myself praying for so many people and so many circumstances that were attached to many of my blessings. The gratitude bubbled up from my heart as I felt this immense pleasure in embracing praise and thankfulness in the intricate details of my life. I could have walked for hours as the blessings and prayers flooded my heart.
I left the park thinking of how many people could use this kind of focus. It’s so easy to only spotlight the bad stuff isn’t it? The stress at work. The annoying things our kids do. The family issues that pinch our nerves. The sickness or struggles, the exhaustion or troubles all people face. Everyone has them. There are no exceptions.
Maybe you too, need to remind yourself of the blessings in your life? On your way to work? In the shower? Lying in bed at night? Carpooling the kids? Anywhere really.
We don’t need a particular place to count our blessings. You can do it anywhere…
Then may I suggest you make this a habit? A true glorious task of your day? I’m not talking 100 blessings- You might need a good pair of walking shoes for that. Just reflecting on our blessings can strengthen our faith and change our perspective. Some days it isn’t easy. But, there is always something to be grateful for every single day. Matter of fact, I’d bet you could discover 100 if you tried.
And after you spend some time in gratitude…it becomes a beautiful part of your attitude. Your lens deepens and you realize the abundance of blessings surrounding you every day. It works. I’m living proof of that. 🙂
No wonder Paul encouraged us to focus on all that is excellent and worthy of praise.
Great idea, Chris! I often take time to read devotionals or a prayer book. I journal my prayers and write in a gratitude journal but I will be honest, I am afraid to walk alone. I am sometimes afraid to be alone in my thoughts. Afraid of where they will take me. Sad, I know but I am working on it. Focusing on the positive. I am loving all the fall colors and the cool breezes. Not to sound too sappy but when I count my blessings, meeting you is definitely one of them.
Oh SAP away dear new friend! That means the world to me. 🙂 I agree 100%, that our friendship is a beautiful blessing! So now you give me another reason to want to live near you, so we can walk together and share the blessings (and all the struggles too). Exercise and friendship is a lovely mix! I really do wish I could be closer, if anything just to give you my total support in anything you need. You have been on quite an amazing and inspiring journey. You’re stronger than you even know… (Now THAT’S sappy!)
How true! I became convicted recently that our struggles are also blessings, provisions, really. It doesn’t feel like it but struggles lead me to where I most need to be and, though I am embarrassed to say it, it is ONLY in the struggles I realize how WEAK I am and go to the safest place to be…at the foot of the cross, and being there is a blessing. Learning from the Master is a blessing. Having my edges smoothed out and the dross skimmed off is a blessing. Learning to find freedom and peace in the moment, NO MATTER what or “who” is happening right in front of me is a blessing. Freedom to run to the safest palce of all knowing He will care for everyhting is a blessing. Notice I NOT once said “easy,” because if it was easy, it would not hold the same value, would it?
Blessings, precious blessings.
Thank you for your blog.
So beautifully put dear friend. So beautifully put. From the deepest depths comes the greatest grace. Your faith is steadfast and strong. Keep counting those blessings. 🙂
Great idea Chris! None of us could EVER be thankful enough for our life’s many blessings. Sometimes we may need to dig deeper than other times but they are there. LOVE the idea of squirreling time (in the car, in bed, etc.) Sometimes the thought of devoting a chunk of time for anything can feel overwhelming in the midst of a chaotic day but we can all find 5 – 10 minutes. Thanks for the encouragement! What a wonderful way to start my day!
So glad it was a good “launching pad” for your day Marcia!! It’s so hard sometimes during our “busyness” to catch a breath and truly focus on all our blessings. Or even when we are in a tunnel of darkness. That’s when it is really hard. It sounds so “cliche”, but the depth of our gratitude is nothing superficial at all. It’s building the core of our faith!
I admit that I have to remind myself to stop and breathe every now and then. Lately, I’ve been taking the time to think about what made me smile each and every day. Even if I had a bad day, there’s always at least one thing that made me smile. That’s something to be grateful for!
That’s awesome Jennifer! Things that make me smile… love that! Especially when you are NOT smiling, the challenge is to still think of something that makes you smile. I am home today with my little guy puking…(no smile) and yet, I am thanking GOD that my daughter is at school and healthy…(BIG smile). Kinda like that! 🙂
I hear you. My little guy was in the same boat yesterday! The thing that made me smile was the fact that we got to have a nice family walk (including dogs) right before he got sick. Hope everyone feels better soon!
EXACTLY! SO glad you got to get your walk in before your little guy got sick! 🙂 Hope yours is doing better too! My guy seems fine now and ate almost everything in the kitchen for dinner!! So far…it’s all staying down. Another thing to smile about! Keep smiling Jennifer!!!
I love this idea. I used to write a few things each night in a gratitude journal, and it did end the day perfectly. I don’t know why I stopped, but I need to start again. I need this kind of focus, just like you said! –Lisa
Love that idea Lisa!! Writing those blessings every day, and then always having that “record” of them all in a journal. It’s so easy to let it slip by though isn’t it? It takes focus, as you said. But the pay off is AWESOME!! 🙂 Thanks so much for reading and sharing!
I like the idea of writing blessings of each day in the evening and keeping that journal going…even if its just 2 or 3 things, what a great way to bring perspective back to the closing of each day. I think I just may start that habit! Thanks for the great post Chris! I’m so happy that you have that ‘walking’ time in your life, so good for your overall well-being indeed! Bundle up and keep it up in the winter! 🙂
Isn’t that a great idea?? Can you imagine how cool that would be to look through those journals through the years and see all the blessings in your life? I think it would also be extra-cool to have our children do the same thing!!! Oh baby we are on a roll!! THANKS LISA!!! 🙂
{Kathy} Thanks for this post, Chris. After a long weekend with my extended family, I feel the need to be grateful for all that I experienced. 100 Blessings is a great place to start.
I love that you look for all the blessings after a long weekend with your extended family! Sometimes that can be both depleting and inspiring at the same time! I find when I identify a blessing, it immediately turns into a prayer for that person or situation. I think that is what I love most about acknowledging blessings. The process becomes a path of prayer…
What a great reminder to be grateful. The first thing I do when I turn of my alarm in the morning, which happens to be on my cell phone, is to read my daily devotion(also on my cell phone) and spend time talking to God in the quiet and still of the early morning. I also run in the mornings, but never thought about praying. What a great idea! This post is such a blessing Chris.
I love that you can wake up and go straight to your devotional! What a perfect way to start your day. And the run to boot! It’s amazing how good it feels to come back from exercising your body AND soul. Talk about feeling refreshed and ready to start your day… Thanks so much for reading and sharing what you do to find gratitude, my friend! 🙂
All in all, i have so many blessings beyond 100 and I’m so grateful! Another way of enumerating my blessings is to use my ABC’s … finding something starting with every letter of the alphabet to be grateful for.
Well THAT’S a cool idea!!! Wow…I might have to actually use some cognitive skills to do that. LOL. A is for… Well I’ll be darned! I’m already stumped! Of course there is “apple”…then I went to “Arizona Alabama Alaska” and I don’t think I know any “Ann’s- oooOOOOOH!!! I GOT IT!. My new friend AnnMarie!!! Whew! Definate cerebral work out here! I surely know what I’ll say when I get to D though!!! That’s an easy one. 🙂 Thanks soooo much for taking the time to read and share your wonderful creative ideas on counting our blessings my dear friend!!
Love, love, love this Chris! We have a million and one excuses on why we can’t find time to spend with Him. Not realizing that all our Savior desires is for our hearts to be endeared to Him. Is that too much to ask? I think not! Thanks for always reminding us friend! ;-)) Have a blessed day!
Thanks so much Michell!!! I agree. We must be intentional about focusing on praising God in all the details of our lives… may our every day be a prayerful path! 🙂
I love this idea! When I remember, I like to think of the things I’m grateful for in my life – one for each letter of the alphabet. I’d like to remember more often and I need wonderful, thoughtful reminders like yours today! Thank you!
Yes! The alphabet idea! My friend suggested that one too… now THAT’S a task! It really is a way of living and becomes intentional through our days if we practice our “gratitude lists” often. Thanks so much for reading and sharing Mary! (Keep checking that spam folder just in case!!)
Great stuff. Love this other side of you, too.
Walking alone has a profound purpose. I wouldn’t think of even listening to music while I ran alone or walked alone, because I’d miss the soundtrack I was meant to hear. Same for things like painting the lines on the soccer fields, or playing disc golf – it’s that time with no controlled noise that can replenish the soul.
Consider yourself among my 100.
Yes yes yes! That alone time as you so eloquently put- has a PROFOUND PURPOSE. Love that. Love this other side of you, TOO. 🙂
Oh and by the way…consider yourself 101. 😉
Inspirational… No, I don’t have time for the long walks…and I don’t have the energy at 1:00 A.M., but you are so right that the time for breathing, devotion, prayer, gratitude is a necessity of life. For me, it is grabbing my Emmaus cross hanging from my car mirror – the one that says, “Christ is counting on you”. I grab that every morning on my way to school. I close my eyes for just a moment and pray that I do God’s work in the classroom. Then I pull into the parking lot, take a deep breath, and thank God for my blessings as well. Today I found out one of my son’s friends is in bad bad shape after an ATV accident. He has had 9 surgeries and is struggling…along with his family. Will he walk again? Will he lose his leg? How will he deal with the adversity of not being able to play sports… maybe even ever…again? How will his parents deal with the horrendous bills? So let’s pray for Cody Meyers and his wonderful family. Let’s pray for all those who suffer, step out of our own woes, and realize that someone always has it worse…someone always needs our prayers – and as you said…count our beautiful blesings.
Oh you said it so beautifully! I can just picture you in the car before going in to school… taking your deep breath and God is there right with you sister. My friend just brought you up tonight after a school conference with more wonderful raves about how great a teacher you are. You are ARE doing God’s work!! Praying for that poor young man and his family… awful.
This is so true. We focus too much on what our “needs” are and not enough on what our blessings are. Thank you for the wonderful reminder. I wish I had been on that walk with you. How encouraged we would have been by thinking of all our blessings together!
Oh that would have been a wonderful walk together!! So grateful you took the time to read my post and leave a comment. 🙂 Lets keep counting our blessings together, even though we may not be close enough to share a walk!
I love mornings, I think, pray and reflect on how blessed I am.. Visiting from SITS.
You got it right Whitney!! Good for you to start your day the perfect way…thinking, praying, reflecting on your blessings. Love that!! So glad you shared… 🙂
Hopping over from SITS. Yes, we could all use the reminder to stay grateful, to look for blessings, to remember to find the beauty and not focus on all the bad things. Some days it’s easier than others, but it always helps. Thanks for the reminder. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by Julie!! It’s always harder on tough days to find our blessings… but those are the days that we need it most!! Every day is a blessing in some way…
I couldn’t agree more! 🙂 I hope you have an amazing weekend!
It’s funny I should read this now. I just text my husband thank you for being my happily ever after.
Although it came from a friends relationship being broken, I realized as I always do what a good man I have in my life. One who lets me sleep in. Who works two jobs but when he walks through the door he takes over the care of our one year old.
Aw…I love that! “Thank you for being my happily ever after”…so precious!! Looks to me like you have a KEEPER if there ever was one. 🙂 I would count that your hubby is a blessing’s worth equal to 100 blessings right there! SO happy for you. Thanks for sharing your beautiful blessing (s)!!!
Beautiful post! I needed this today. I always feel better when I take some time for worship and meditation, and yet I so often forget to do it. Wandering through my day a little lost. Thank you for the reminder.
Happy Sharefest. Have a great weekend.
It’s amazing the difference in our perspective and our actions through out the day if we focus on what is “worthy of praise”, isn’t it? Thanks so much for stopping by Robin! Will check in on you soon! 🙂
I love this post. I am just now learning the importance of gratitude. In fact, I host a weekly Sunday Gratitude linkup for bloggers. My goal is to create a community of bloggers who can connect and share their gratitude weekly. I would love for you to join me!
I hope to see you there! Here is my blog address:
http://adventuresofasemperfifamily.blogspot.com/
That sounds WONDERFUL!! Will definately check it out. Thanks so much for stopping by Nicole! 🙂
I love this idea! You are such a positive force. I look forward to reading your posts and being encouraged by you.
Thank you so much Andrea!! I hope you continue to take in any encouragement my words can give you. I just appreciate you taking the time to read and share a comment… means so much to me. What a beautiful compliment you gave me, I hold that with great honor!! 🙂
I really need to carve out some time to walk and reflect too. My attitude pretty much sucks lately and I have so much to be thankful.
I get that. Been there. Swam in those crappy waters. Blah. SO sorry. Making yourself count your blessings is a good way to at least acknowledge how good it really is… and that often is the kick in the glutes for me. 🙂 Hang in there!! I wish I could come over with a yummy drink or coffee and give you a hug and make you laugh…