When it comes to blessings, make no mistake about it, we are blessed, you and I. We are incredibly blessed.

Life is tough. Often times we get caught up in the reality of our world and forget our blessings. We get so caught up in our problems that it's hard to clearly perceive those things we have to be grateful for. Illness, financial woes, martial and family strife are enough to temporarily blind anyone to the blessings they enjoy. For some, it's hard to rejoice and be glad simply because their team is down by two goals in the second half of the match. On the other hand, it takes a really bad day for others to lose touch with their gladness. Still, life has a way of dealing us all with a few bad days in our life now and then.

There is an old adage that goes, 'When you're up to your rear end in alligators, it's hard to remember the objective was to drain the swamp.' Likewise, when you're overwhelmed with troubles, it's hard to follow Jesus' instructions and to 'rejoice and be glad', even if you do understand. I struggled with this for years and prayed for guidance until one day it came to me. There is a way for pretty much anyone to find comfort in his or her blessings at even the lowest and most difficult times. Ever since I gained this understanding, whenever I am at one of my low points I apply this method and right away I am once again able to feel blessed and to rejoice and be glad in those blessings and to thank God for any situation. Now, I want to share it with you.

The method is about perspective and not entirely unlike the old saying 'I felt bad because I had no shoes until I met a man who had no feet.' When we are stuck in the misery of our moment, we become so consumed by it, and the troubles take on such proportion, that we become unable to see the entirety of our world. By creating contrast, things can take on a whole new look. This is what I do.

I think about Berela. Berela is 25 years old and lives in small village outside the town of Awaza, in Ethiopia. Throughout her entire life she has known little but oppression, brutality and hunger. During the last few weeks, she watched in horror as her husband and her brother were both brutally beaten and killed along with others from her village. Following the murders, she herself was savagely beaten then raped repeatedly by this band of thugs. There was no food and no water. In Berela's arms is her young daughter. They are both starving to death. By tomorrow her daughter will be dead and there is absolutely nothing Berela can do to prevent it. After that, there will be nothing left for Berela to do but to wait for death to claim her too.

As I focus on Berela and absorb her reality, one thing becomes incredibly clear. This may be the absolute worse day of my life but, if it is, it's also a day that is so remarkably wonderful that it's beyond Berela's ability to imagine experiencing as one of her 'best days ever'. Think about that for a moment. For Berela and for millions and millions of people throughout the world, in places like Darfur and Burma my 'worst day ever' is so good, it's beyond their ability to dare to hope for as their 'best day ever'.

I am sure that whatever day Berela imagined in her short life, as what her 'best day ever' might have looked like, to us, it would be pretty bleak indeed by comparison to even our really bad days. No matter how awful you think things are in your life at this moment, the fact you are reading this tells me there are a lot of people in this world who can't imagine having it as good as you do right now. A few moments with Berela is all it takes to get my mind right and to help me not only know I am blessed, but to feel it to the point where I can genuinely rejoice and be glad.

As your thought for this week thank God for your blessings and realise your trials can also be a blessing. Then reach out and share your gladness with someone who is struggling to find their gladness and let them know that God loves them and that within their trials are the gifts of His blessings. We need only to take the time to seek them out and let them know that someone cares for them.

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