Counting Our Blessings, Whatever the Weather

What a fuss everyone has been making about the weather. I've heard everyone's opinion about whether it's too hot, whether it will last, and how they feel about the humidity. I've heard grumbles about hose-pipe bans and the poor flowers in the garden, though surely it's more important that everyone has water to drink? By the time The Voice is published, I imagine we will think that it is too cold, too wet, or too something else.

We talk about the changing trends in the weather as though it's a personal inconvenience - something that just happens to us - rather than the consequence of hundreds of years of selfish human behaviour that has affected plant life, the air, the sea, and the people and animals that share this planet. Even if you are a climate change denier, it is impossible to deny that human beings fail to think about the impact of their actions and fail to share what they have fairly, often more concerned about whether plans to do good will benefit or inconvenience "me and mine" rather than help others.

Spare a thought, and certainly some prayer, for those who are growing our food and those who are worse affected by the changing climate than we are.

As I've been walking the dog on the footpaths through the fields these last few weeks, usually very early in the morning, I've been praying for the growing crops. To anyone who is not a Christian, prayer might seem futile; I just know that when I pray, I am more likely to see answers to the things I'm worried about than when I don't. Throughout my whole life, I've seen God faithfully and generously answer more often than not, and sometimes in ways I couldn't have imagined. There is an old saying, "I've never met a farmer's wife who doesn't pray"; it's a bit dated now, but it points to how much trust in, and help from, God is needed in farming - alongside research, skills, and experience, of course.

At our "tractor service," as it's affectionately been called at the start of the farming year, we prayed for God's blessing on the farmers, the farm machinery, and the seed. And we thanked God for the land, for his provision, for his awesome creation, and for his faithfulness.

Prayer is about thankfulness as well as about what we want. Research shows that gratitude - an attitude of thankful appreciation for the tangible and intangible good things that we have - is good for us. People who have a habit of deliberately speaking out, writing down, or thinking about the things for which they are grateful are more optimistic, more satisfied with their lives, and have an overall higher happiness score in psychology experiments than those who don't. There is a significant amount of research in this field, and the correlation between gratitude and wellbeing is remarkable. Even if there are ninety-nine things that you would like to complain about, that have gone wrong, or are hard to manage, writing down, thinking about, or speaking about just one good thing for which you are thankful is transformative for your mental health. Further research shows that those who are closest to people who practice gratitude have their own wellbeing scores positively impacted just by spending time with them.

If you'd like to give it a try, you could write a thank-you note to someone - perhaps making it a habit once a month. You'll feel happier as you think about someone who has made a positive difference to you, and they will feel happier receiving it. If you don't have time to write a note, send them a text, being specific about why you're thankful for them. If they're a stranger, simply thinking about how they did something nice for you and mentally thanking them helps maintain a positive attitude toward others.

Make a habit of writing down the simple things you're thankful for each day. Write them in a journal or on a scrap of paper, and keep them to read whenever you're having a bad day. Count your blessings over breakfast or as you clean your teeth before bed; try to identify three specific things that happened that you're grateful for, and why. If you haven't tried praying, gratitude is a great way to start. You can turn your practice into prayers, thanking God for things, people, and situations. Or, you can meditate on something for which you're grateful, being fully present in the moment (the warmth of the sun, the sound of the wind, the hand of a friend in yours, the food you're enjoying) and allowing your mind to slow down and connect with that feeling.

There is so much I'm grateful for, and so many people to whom and for whom I am thankful. Whatever the weather, I'm thankful to God for the way in which he made this world, as well as the hope of his promise to restore it one day to the perfection of Eden, and to restore us to a perfect relationship with him. Until then, I pray that he will help us live well together in this world we've made imperfect, and that he will guard and guide our farmers during this harvest time so that we can all receive the blessing of food to share.

Every Blessing (don't forget to count them 😊),

Rebecca