When we are counting our blessings, we count only the tangible things that we can see, touch, taste, hear or smell; but we most often have no clue that, simultaneously, God Almighty saved us from ills and calamities which would have befallen us without our knowledge, and for which we should count as blessings too.
Imagine this true-life story of James, not his real name, the father of a two-week-old child who has a condition that required dialysis on a weekly basis. Doctors had indicated that the condition was treatable through some minor surgery but the procedure could only be safely carried out when the child was at least two and a half years old.
At a parent’s motivational forum, James confessed that he knows he earns, from his employment and side hustle, much more than the majority of those present, but quickly added that they, his audience, were richer, wealthier and happier; because:
Firstly, all of the money he makes goes to meet the cost of the weekly dialysis sessions, and that he’ll have to do this for the next two and a half years.
Secondly, the Ksh 10,000.00 which he spends every week is money that his audience have been spared from spending, and is therefore according to him, additional salary to them.
Thirdly, he told his audience that they have no idea how extremely painful it becomes for a father when the child experiences seizures due to the condition and the child, and everyone else in the house, looks upon him, the head of the family, with expectant eyes that are pleading for help but there’s nothing one can do about it.
James summarized his experience by saying, “when we count our blessings my friends, let’s remember to also count what God Almighty has saved us from, even though we have no clue. Let’s remember to include the blessings when God Almighty:
- saved us from hospital bills because He removed illnesses from our families;
- saved us from hustles, including bribes, when our children proceed to Secondary School and Colleges because He made sure that the children got good, indisputable grades;
- saved us from that rapist who lured us onto interviews for non-existent jobs because He caused disruptions in our lives that ensured that we could not make it to the interviews;
- saved us from robbery incidents because He distracted the thugs by creating disagreement among them.
- saved us and family members from that gruesome accident because He ensured that we arrived five minutes late and missed the bus; and
- saved us from that hijacking incident on the streets because He sent that lunatic, whom we vehemently cursed, to create chaos and confusion”.
When counting our blessings, we should remember to count the blessings on us when God Almighty guarded us, guided us, kept us, fed us, watched over us, protected us, and saved us and all who we love; with or without our knowledge. We should then thank God for those blessings on us.
