Lying in the darkness
Where dreams should overtake,
You’re thinking on life’s stresses
And worried, wide awake.

Each stress comes pushing forward
To be counted like a sheep;
Corral them all together,
And it’s more than you can keep.

For if you count your worries
And name them one by one,
No doubt it will depress you
Before the task is done.

So next time darkness finds you
All worried, without sleep,
Try counting out your blessings
Instead of stressful “sheep.”

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I am standing in the kitchen doing morning dishes.  I am feeling in the holiday mood and have Christmas tunes pumping on the stereo with way too much bass (is that even possible?).  There is a catchy song going on about recognizing the blessings that surround me.  I like the message.

Too many times—especially on Sunday nights as I dread the thought of starting another busy work week—I lay awake enumerating my stresses and worries and anxieties and doubts.  Often, these keep me awake longer than I like and make the early morning alarm ring that much sooner.  It is hard to dismiss them, though.  Like sheep, they can bleat and baa quite loudly for attention.

Perhaps this week I will do as the popular hymn suggests and: “Count [my] blessings; name them one by one.  Count [my] many blessings; see what God hath done” (Hymns, page 241).

Written: December 8, 2018