Have you ever seen White Christmas? I was fortunate enough to see it on the West End with Aled Jones and Tom Chambers, and thoroughly enjoyed it. Fantastic talent and a brilliant story-line. But there was one song that stuck with me long after I left the theatre (and no, I don’t mean White Christmas!)
I don’t want to spoil the story for anyone who hasn’t seen it, so I’ll try and be a little vague. There is a young girl in the play who in one particular scene can’t sleep because she is worried about a lot of things. The main character sings her a lullabye called Count your blessings (instead of sheep). The idea behind it is so simple and so profound, I used it as a basis for a new prayer habit.
As I read the news, scroll through social media or listen to the people around me, there is an awful lot of uncertainty about what is coming next. Some people are concerned about job security and money, some have fears about health. For some, the idea of having to leave the house is proving a cause for worry after months of staying inside. Whatever your situation is, whatever is causing you worry and concern, I don’t want to diminish that. But I have found that with in each day there are also things to be thankful for. There are positive things that can bring light with them. Sometimes it’s a message from a friend, or a smile from a stranger. Sometimes it’s reading a much-loved book or watching a favourite film. Birds, flowers, the moon – all things I have been thankful for at various times. Sometimes it’s as basic as drinking a cup of tea at the perfect temperature.
The lyrics of the song say ‘When I’m worried and I can’t sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep. And I fall asleep counting my blessings’. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the uncertainty. Sometimes the darkness and despair threatens to block out all hope. My message here is one of personal experience. If I can make a list of 10 points of light each day before you go to sleep, I find my mind is calmer and I can sleep a little easier. For me, this takes the form of thinking of 10 things I can thank God for. Sometimes they are big things like a new job or an unexpected windfall, but more often than not they are more everyday things like friends and family, or little pleasures like Milka chocolate.
So if you are worried, and you are having trouble sleeping, see if you can find the light in your day to be thankful for. I promise you it will be there. There is always light somewhere. There is always hope.
The Reason for my Hope Blog 