Count Your Blessings…

I can easily say that this song is the sole reason I survived finals.

I was stressed, I was frightened, I was sleep deprived and I was on the verge of what felt like certain death. The looming specter of finals had definitely overwhelmed me and taken complete control of my life. After three days of non-stop work I hit a wall; my ability to function like a normal human being had been lost. It must have fell to the wayside somewhere between the disruption of my sleep cycle and the ability to speak coherent sentences. I found that staring at the wall and letting my mind rest and do nothing had become some sort of comforting ritual. While performing this odd ritual a song came to mind; I couldn’t seem to get the tune out of my head. Driven by my curiosity and the nagging tip-of-my-tongue feeling I found (after consulting the internet) into the origins of the song and found the lyrics aren’t usually sung in Sunday school. I found that the song I enjoyed as a five-year-old kid without a worry in his life could be appreciated so much more as an eighteen-year-old overcome by the stress of finals. The truths in this song are deep reaching and helped me through a time that I never thought I would survive. So, I encourage you to read these lyrics and I hope they help you to see that there is more to life than bad just as they did for me.

“When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings, name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings, and see what God hath done! Count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.

Are you ever burdened with a load of care? Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear? Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly, and you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold, Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold; Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small, do not be disheartened, God is over all; Count your many blessings, angels will attend, Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end”. -Johnson Oatman, Jr.

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