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My son, daughter-in-law and new-born grandson just left my home to head to their own over two hours away. They had come to visit and I watched the baby while they went out with our other son for a while. Before they left, we started talking about how blessed we are. My son has a wonderful wife and three beautiful children, including the cutest baby on the face of the earth (at least to Grandma). I have three wonderful children and three beautiful grandchildren. I have a husband who loves me and takes care of me. I have a home. That home is within a house that I love. I could go on, but that would miss the point.

In all the trials of my life, and there have been many, God has always come through for me. Does that mean he always said yes to my requests? No, sometimes he said, "Not yet" and sometimes he said, "No that will harm you." So what does it mean? It means that no matter what type of pain, no matter what type of loss, no matter what, I have seen God's hand in all of it.

Sometimes I didn't see that hand until I looked back, but as I grew in my walk with the Lord (often through those crises) I began to look at the world differently. I could step away from my underneath view of the tapestry of my life with all its knots and dark threads to look from his perspective. He sees not only the front of the tapestry, but the finished product, no matter where he is in the process of weaving it.

I have learned to wait patiently (well most of the time) for God's timing. I have learned that no matter how bleak the prospect, God is in control. I have learned that my life, my times, my all are in his hands and that's the safest place of all to be.

So now, as I face my husband's loss of his job of 32 years and the possible loss of our home, I do not fear. In fact I cannot fear, because I can look back over my entire life and see that hand I talked about earlier taking care of everything. Even things that seem catastrophic are gold in God's hands. He uses my pains to refine me, and whatever he takes away; he always provides something even better in the end.

That looking back thing is what I call counting my blessings. I can start before I was born in the story of my parents and go to the present and count blessing after blessing after blessing. And then I can look at my life right now, in the present moment and see blessings. Blessings remembered and blessings now enjoy teach me to trust him completely.

If my husband doesn't find a job, we'll find a way to make it. Maybe the Lord will move us closer to those grandbabies. I have no idea what next month or next year will bring. All I know is who God is. Anything I receive is more than I deserve, but God is not content with a few blessings. To any who will look to him, he wants to pour out blessings beyond what we could ever imagine. So count those blessings, the ones you've had, those you have and those you will have and then count them again. You'll be so busy counting you won't have time to worry about the things you don't have in your joy at the things you do.

Learn more about this author, Angela S. Young.
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