Last week while browsing through Facebook I ran across a random thought that had been posted and it read something to this effect:

When you are counting your blessings if what comes to mind is your house, job, car, bank account, or any other type of physical item, you are missing out on what a true blessing really is.

A blessing can be defined as a good and perfect gift from God. We may even receive something that may even be undeserved. Another definition is a gift that is received at just the right moment.

Now to be honest this hit home with me as I also tend to look at physical, or maybe we should even say earthly items as blessings also. We all most likely tend to do so when thinking about things that make up a large part of our every day lives. However, I do believe we should be thankful to have been given the opportunity to buy a home, been born with, or trained and educated to perform job skills, and thankful to have reached a certain level of success in our lives. The more important task at hand would be, would we still feel blessed if all of those material items were suddenly taken away.

We could lose our home in a disaster, our car could be wrecked and we could lose our jobs. We could lose our health, or our spouse could lose their health or even their lives. Perhaps what I am leading up to is the above-mentioned physical things are all very temporary in the light of eternity.

True blessings could also be thought of as ones that cannot be bought with money. The physical assets could pass away in a vapor just as the morning fog disappears as the sun rises on the eastern horizon.True blessings are those that cannot be stolen or destroyed by man. Many, and I would dare say most of us are not always even deserving of receiving them. Perhaps because so many of us lead relatively comfortable lives we likely fail to recognize what we really have. “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. “ Matthew 6:20 (NIV)

This verse seems to give credence to what we should count as true blessings. What would we have to be thankful for if all our physical “stuff” was to suddenly disappear?

Our treasures in heaven could be sharing the gospel to an unbeliever, seeing that person in heaven would be a joy. Anything we do, we should do for the glory of God and that will be a treasure stored in heaven as well. Learning to love each other as Christ loved the church would be a blessing as well.

Maybe our kids and the joy they bring to your life, the love of our family, special friends who are there for us, no matter what, a committed marriage with someone who loves you just the way your are, and most of all a Heavenly Father who loves us and wants all of us to share His heavenly home with Him for all of eternity. Those treasures, friends are true blessings.

“Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done” are the words from an old familiar hymn. These words ring true