Do You Appreciate Your Blessings?
WE ALL enjoy many blessings. But do we ever stop to add them up? Do we appreciate them, or do we just take them for granted? Appreciating one’s blessings can often mean the difference between good health and poor health, the difference between contentment and discontentment, between peace of mind and frustration, or between happiness and unhappiness. Failure to appreciate their blessings accounts for the fact that many persons turn to alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling and pornography.
True, in this present system of things there is nothing perfect; we all have trials of one kind or another and none of us have all our wants fully satisfied. There is always the bitter with the sweet. But how does this affect us?
As one elderly Christian minister put it: “Some people grumble because rosebushes have thorns; others are thankful that thornbushes have roses.”
We need to give thought to the blessings we daily receive because the human tendency is to take good experiences for granted, while harping on the unpleasant or negative ones. Thus we read in the press: “Families Richer But Frustrated.” Although incomes have increased, “the frustrations, the fears, the anxieties of the American family . . . cut across income levels,” those of the ones enjoying affluence as well as of those on relief. Yes, “job and career dissatisfaction are rampant throughout the executive and managerial suites of American business.” Among factory workers a typical complaint is: “I feel like a guy running hard just to keep in the same position.”
Is all this discontent and frustration justified? That it might largely be a matter of one’s mental attitude can be seen from the way one family looks at things. The husband works on an auto assembly line, and this type of work is generally marked by a high rate of turnover and absenteeism, which is said to be due to the boredom and frustration connected with it. But does this mean that such workers have few, if any, blessings that can be appreciated? The wife explains:
‘My husband, although a college graduate with a college degree, prefers to work on an assembly line, having turned down jobs with status. Why? Among our blessings are these: (1) a very high paycheck; (2) medical coverage (it saved us $2,000 when I gave birth to a premature baby); (3) his job is protected by his union; (4) his pay rises when the cost of living rises; (5) he has liberal holiday and vacation benefits; (6) when he is through with a night’s work (he prefers the night shift), he is free from all worries; (7) when he comes home we get the whole man, and so forth.’
In sum, she says: “Not everybody is driven by ambition and the pursuit of status. . . . [Some are] more interested in . . . free time for reading, conversation and recreation . . . Success depends on what kind of a human being you are, not on your job description or bank balance. . . . We thrive on the free time, security and freedom from stress and pressure that is our lot as a blue collar family.”—New York Daily News Magazine, Sept. 16, 1973.
Knowingly or unknowingly, this blue-collar family is going by the principle enunciated by the apostle Paul: “If we have food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare.” However, we should not overlook the fact that the apostle also shows that for “great gain” we need “godliness with contentment.”—1 Tim. 6:6, 8, 9, Revised Standard Version.
RESULT OF FAILING TO APPRECIATE BLESSINGS
According to official estimates, in the United States, annually, about one million children run away from their homes. Their average age at present is fifteen years, and is getting lower. True, some of these may have good reasons for running away. However, it is apparent that, for the most part, these children do not appreciate the blessings they might have at home, compared with the conditions they find and face in the cold outside world. The press even tells of runaway girls’ being violated and murdered and of runaway boys who were among those tortured and murdered by a homosexual ring in Houston, Texas.
Today there are women in many lands who are complaining about the inequalities of their lot. In the United States, these women have formed the National Organization of Women (NOW, for short). Indicative of their extreme position is the book written by one of the group’s leaders attacking the ‘maleness’ of God, objecting to his being called “Father.” But these do not speak for all women. In fact, to counteract the NOW propaganda some women have formed the HOW organization—short for “Happiness of Womanhood.” Appreciatively they enumerate some of their blessings—family life, love of a husband, a home of their own, being able to rear children, and the security that goes with a dependable, breadwinning husband. They also appreciate that while their lot is not perfect, neither is that of their husbands.
APPRECIATING YOUR BLESSINGS
To the extent that you have a measure of health and strength, you have blessings for which you can be thankful. Do you have the use of your five senses? This is a blessing to be appreciated. By reason of the sense of vision you can enjoy many beautiful sights—the faces and forms of people, lovely flowers, trees, shrubs, birds, animals and fish, beautiful valleys, lakes and sunsets.
What about the pleasures that go with the sense of hearing—the many captivating human voices, including those of children, the sounds of creation, the strains of delightful music well played? And consider all the pleasures that go with the senses of taste, of smell and of feeling. Do you appreciate these blessings, or do you take them for granted? Does it take your seeing a cripple for you to appreciate your sound limbs? Does it take your seeing a blind man for you to appreciate your blessing of sight?
WHY THE FAILURE TO APPRECIATE BLESSINGS
What causes people to ignore, disparage or be blind to their blessings, taking them for granted rather than appreciating them?
There are a number of reasons. One is simply thoughtlessness. For example, some young children may give little thought to all the time, energy and provisions, as well as consideration, love and affection that their parents bestow upon them. They just take things for granted—unless their parents inculcate in them sentiments and mental attitudes of appreciation, gratitude and contentment.
With others, the failure to appreciate their blessings may well be due to greed or selfishness. Such persons always want more. They are never content with what they have. Of them, the Bible says: “The man who loves money can never have enough.” (Eccl. 5:10, New English Bible) Always wanting more, such persons are blind to the blessings they already have.
Still others fail to appreciate their blessings because of envy. Being uneasy because others have more than they have, or have what they would like to have, envious persons fail to appreciate the blessings that they themselves already have. The Bible repeatedly warns against coveting or desiring what another may have, and also against competing with one another. (Phil. 2:3; Col. 3:5) Such persons may readily become embroiled in the “rat race” or in trying to “keep up with the Joneses.”
But a fundamental reason why many fail to count their blessings, to appreciate the good things in life, the advantages they have, is that they let the great Benefactor, the Creator, Jehovah God, play so small a role, if any, in their lives. Their ignoring God is usually due to their ignoring God’s Word, the Bible.
THE BIBLE’S COUNSEL
The opening pages of the Bible show that God is the great Creator of all things. (Genesis chaps. 1 and 2) We are indebted to him for all that we enjoy. In particular, the book of Psalms calls upon humankind to give thanks to Jehovah God and supplies reasons for doing so.
The psalmists took note, not only of material blessings, but also of spiritual ones: “Bless Jehovah, O my soul, . . . Him who is forgiving all your error . . . For as the heavens are higher than the earth, his loving-kindness is superior toward those fearing him. As far off as the sunrise is from the sunset, so far off from us he has put our transgressions. As a father shows mercy to his sons, Jehovah has shown mercy to those fearing him.”—Ps. 103:2, 3, 11-13.
Similarly, we find God’s servants in apostolic times appreciating God’s blessings. Thus the apostle Paul told the pagans at Lystra who wanted to worship him: “Indeed, [God] did not leave himself without witness in that he did good, giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling your hearts to the full with food and good cheer.” (Acts 14:17) The same apostle keeps stressing the need to thank God for blessings received. Typical is his expression: “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ giving thanks always for all things to our God and Father.”—Eph. 5:20.
MODERN-DAY EXAMPLES
Those today who take God’s Word and his requirements seriously are likewise appreciative of their blessings. This can be seen by the fact that their lives are free from such “escape” expedients as materialism, alcoholism, drug addiction, gambling and pornography. It is even more apparent from the fact that they are such law-abiding and happy people.
For example, there is a paraplegic in Vancouver, British Columbia, who is happy in spite of the fact that he has no use whatever of his arms or legs. He counts among his blessings the ability to make a living by painting—holding a brush with his mouth—thus being able to provide for himself. And, in particular, he appreciates among his many blessings his knowing the truth about God and His purposes, having the wonderful Kingdom hope and being able to associate with fellow Christians in worship and in sharing the things he learns with others.
Another example of one who appreciates his blessings is a certain man who had been arrested twenty-five times in nine years, and who had been convicted five times. He had fourteen felonies charged against him and was facing a total sentence of 250 years in prison. Then he came in touch with the Bible and later with someone able to help him to understand it. What a change this made in him!
“My old associates, the local police, are wondering what happened to me. . . . My parole officer sees the wonderful change in my life. . . . I have become accustomed to good work habits, which I never had before. I supply my family with honest money. I enjoy and appreciate the things in life more. I give thanks especially to Jehovah himself for helping me. In one year my life has been completely renewed. I have put on a new personality. I have come to know the trueness of the Creator in my life, and I have a wonderful hope when I go to bed and when I get up.” No question about his appreciating his blessings!
Then there was the Texas youth who had been a drunk, a drug addict and who spent time in prison because of being a drug “pusher.” As a result of his getting to know Jehovah and his Word he became one that appreciates his blessings: “My past life was leading to certain death, but now I have hope. I have the privilege of meeting and knowing many brothers and sisters in many places who really care. This gives me something to live for. The difference between my life before and my life now is like the difference between a desert and an ocean.”
A young Hawaiian man, because of a swimming accident, was confined to a wheelchair. For seven years he felt cheated in life, sorry for himself and depressed. But on coming in touch with Jehovah’s witnesses and acquiring the Bible hope all of this changed: “Now I have a happy, worthwhile and satisfying life. Knowing that Jehovah promises an everlasting life with perfect health and vigor in the new order so near at hand, plus the fact that I am able to help others to eternal life, has brought me the greatest happiness possible.”
No question about it. Regardless of your situation in life, whether your circumstances are normal, or even as difficult as those of the paraplegic, you have blessings that can be appreciated. You will appreciate them if you do not take them for granted, if you do not let selfishness, greed or envy blind you to them. And there is no better way to come to a full appreciation of your blessings than by gaining a knowledge and understanding of God’s Word the Bible. Jehovah’s witnesses in your community will be glad to help you to acquire that knowledge and understanding.