The Blessing Scan

I was having a hard time falling asleep last night because I was anxious about the supplement I took to help me fall sleep. Do you catch the irony in that? Yep, that’s the unique way God has wired me. Or should I say the unique way I have wired myself over time?

So, I opened the app on my phone called Insight Timer, which has a variety of guided meditations to help put you into a deep and restful sleep. After you are led through a body scan to get all your parts quieted and relaxed, you are encouraged to do what I call a “blessing scan,” a focused time to recall and spend time with each of your blessings.

The still, quiet darkness of the middle of the night is the perfect backdrop for a blessing scan and what a powerful balm that can be.

I took time with each of my blessings to really soak up the reality of its presence in my life. I didn’t mindlessly rush through the list. There were a lot of people and situations that were obvious blessings, but what surprised me were a few of the people and situations that popped into my head that I’ve never thought of as blessings. It was like God was giving me a new awareness.

Another awareness that became more real as I reflected on each blessing was the depth of God’s love.

I didn’t always see blessings that way, as an underserved expression of God’s love. More often I saw them as a reward for good behavior. I perceived God’s love as part of a reward system. I would think to myself, “I must have done something good and this is my reward. I better keep up the good work.” Instead of purely a gift and reminder of God’s love, the blessings had strings attached.

As I have grown in my faith and in my relationship with God, I know that isn’t true.

I can’t quite wrap my human brain around the depth and unfailing love of God, but I know it is real. God’s unconditional love makes no sense. A love like that is so hard to fathom. One of the best ways to help ourselves believe it is to do a blessing scan.

I talk to a lot of women these days who can only dream of a night of uninterrupted sleep. Instead of fretting about it and getting frustrated, I encourage you to use some of that still, quiet time to take a slow and mindful look at the list of your blessings. Savor each one as undeniable proof of a God who loves you more than you can fathom.

Instead of counting the sheep, count your blessings, from the Shepherd.

Joan