Counting your blessings is a powerful spiritual exercise. Make a list of all of the things God has blessed you with, all of the things that make life wonderful. Pay attention to the details of your life. Look for the hidden things. Take notice of all of those wonderful things you easily overlook. Start small: try to come up with a list of ten things God has blessed you with. It can include things like your loved ones, material provision or opportunities you have been given. It can also include things in the created world: the sun, the stars, the mountains and so forth. Or you might want to include things you love, like coffee or ice cream! Finally, also include things that God has done for you. Each day God is at work providing for us, even though we cannot always see it. This exercise is aimed at helping you see “the widespread mercy” that is so much greater than the “black blot.”

Keep adding to your list each day. Strive to make a list of fifty things. Then keep going! See if you can come up with one hundred blessings, things you are thankful for, this week. You will likely end up with, as George Buttrick called it, a “vast treasure.” Most of us are accustomed to waking up and thinking about our problems. This exercise will help us shift our focus away from the few things that are wrong to the many things that are beautiful and wonderful.

If you are having trouble getting started12, below is a list I started a few years ago, after reading a book called 10,000 Things to Praise God For. I love some of the praiseworthy things in the book and added some of my own. I have done this exercise with dozens of people through the years, and I have added some of theirs. My list omits my family and friends, not because I’m not thankful for them, but because I have learned to give thanks for them on a regular basis. I wanted my list to be a reminder to praise God for the things I often overlook.