Seven Ways to Count Your Blessings One by One

No matter your religious belief, I believe you have heard the chorus of the song by Johnson Oatman jnr with the title of the song above:

Refrain:

Count your blessings, name them one by one, 

Count your blessings, see what God has done! Count your blessings, name them one by one,

Count your many blessings, see what God has done.

And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.]

The refrain sounds very simplistic and you have probably heard it all your life (song was published in 1897) so we usually tend to overlook the power of this song.

The world we live in now makes it difficult to count your blessings with the updated version of the new seven deadly sins namely Envy : Instagram/ Facebook. Pride: LinkedIn.

A number of studies conducted has described how Instagram generally affects mental health with the opulent display of wealth by users and the scramble to outdo each other with their material possessions.

Facebook users and old acquaintances (school mates, people you grew up) trying to show you that they made it is like 5 & 6!

And oh LinkedIn is a display of the academic and career laurels achieved and even the ones not so achieved but of course ‘pepper them’is the silent anthem on LinkedIn.

Social media would have you questioning your blessings and wonder in despair whether you even have any blessings to count at all.

Again, it’s very difficult to count your blessings now especially in 2020 when everything seems to be going from bad to worse; the novel virus COVID-19 has left in its wake massive job losses, deaths and a generally sense of helplessness. You may ask, what is there to even count? 

I like to use Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs which I believe most people are familiar with:

I do understand that Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is used to study how humans intrinsically partake in behavioral motivation but I have personalized it to reflect my story.

I know everyone’s experience might be different but using mine, I would list 7 ways I have counted my blessings using Maslow’shierarchy of needs. (the basic needs)

1. Shelter

Right from my childhood to this very stage of my life, I have never had to worry about accommodation. It has been one of the most consistent things in my life. Even when life threw me hither and thither, I had a roof over my head.

I have often lamented about the cost of rent in Accra because it’s steep and ridiculous but through it all when rent was due, we found a way of renewing it without sweating. 

I have never had to worry or stay up when it’s raining unlike the millions of people who are left to the mercies of the weather whenever it rains. That’s why I make it a point to say a prayer whenever it rains for those without shelter because it’s hard. 

I know most of us want to live in the opulent massive house before we can acknowledge our blessings but I say if I have a decent roof over my head, it doesn’t leak when it rains , it ensures my dignity then it’s a blessing and that’s how you should view yours

Looking forward to the day I own my crib in Accra though 😄

Rent is killing man! 😩

2. Clothing

I had to pause and take a minute to thank God the other day when it hit me that I had gone 3 weeks, 5 working days =15 working days without repeating a single dress. Yes, you might roll your eyes and think it’s nothing or this is so vain but it’s a big deal! This is a luxury because there are people who can only afford just 3 pieces of clothing items and have to rely on ‘wash n wear’ to go by. You might not have to go 15days like I did but please if you have clean well preserved clothes, it is indeed a blessing. Count it.

3. Food

I think we all know the statistics of the number of people who go to bed hungry every night AND DEFINITELY NOT BY CHOICE! 

Around the world, 815 million people regularly go to bed hungry, according to a report from the United Nations food agencies. 

Yup 815 million people on an average go to bed hungry!

The only times I have gone to bed hungry is because I’m trying to live the healthy way so no late night eating meaning hunger by choice! I choose to go to bed hungry but for the rest of the 815 million people around the globe especially children, it wasn’t a matter of choice, the option of food in whichever form isn’t even available to them!

So dear reader, forget about a 3 square meal but if you’re not going to bed hungry then please count that as a blessing, name it!

4. Water

As the saying goes: water is life! Water is supposed to be a basic need but unfortunately it’s not.

Again according to the WHO some 2.2 billion people around the world do not have safely managed drinking water services, 4.2 billion people do not have safely managed sanitation services, and 3 billion lack basic handwashing facilities.

To put in perspective , China’s which is the most populous nation in the world has a population of 1,394,015,977 not even up to 2billion so a populace of China’s size and more don’t have access to water, clean water for that matter.

The numbers are staggering but it’s exactly how I appreciate having access to drinking water, water to bath, etc. is a blessing even if I have to buy it. At least I have the capacity to buy it right? The 2.2 billion people on earth don’t have that luxury of buying so are left with contaminated water and horrible sanitation conditions.

Do you count this as a blessing? If not please do.

5. Health

Health as they say is wealth and we always tend to take our health for granted till we fall sick and realize our favorite food taste like sand in our mouth: tasteless.

I don’t even remember the last time I fell seriously ill to require hospitalization or urgent medical care apart from the usual tiredness from the day’s activity or ‘small small’ headaches.  When I think about the number of people stuck in the hospital needing medical attention or who do not even have access to quality health care and yet I don’t have that type of headache (haha), then I have no choice but to count being healthy as one of my blessings.
With Covid 19 raging mad , we are hit with here today, gone tomorrow in split seconds so be grateful dear reader that you are healthy because it’s the wealth no amount of Instagram show off can give .

6. Employment / Job

The last time I was unemployed was in 2011 and that was just for 6months. Since 2012, I have been gainfully employed with regular income and a conducive work environment. We are in 2020 and COVID-19 has left thousands of people out of jobs (especially those in the travel and tour business). Those with jobs are hardly getting their salaries and it’s a tough world out there but I’m grateful, I don’t have to worry about my next paycheck or my job security and for that I count it as blessing.

7. Family

My family is really one of my biggest blessings and I never fail to thank God for them and their life.

Yes, we might have our differences but they have never failed to be there for me when I needed them or vice versa.

When I count my blessings, I count my family twice!

Social media can get overwhelming and you might think you haven’t achieved anything significant and how your life is at a standstill but relax, you’re doing well. Don’t let the feeling of swimming against the tide suffocate and drown you, it’s a trap, please don’t fall for it.

But guess what? There’s a lot to be grateful for! As a matter of fact, you have more than enough reasons to count your blessings and name them one by one.

Be grateful for what you have by acknowledging the basic needs, don’t look at your blessings from a huge point of view. If you have health, shelter, clothes over your back, not going to bed hungry, access to clean water and a semblance of family then you have every reason to count your blessings and name them one by one like I do. That’s my coping mechanism and my way own way staying content in this very competitive world

So tell me, what are your blessings? How are you counting them?

Let’s see what God has done!

Everything sugar spice and sweet

AB