Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and if you are like me, you enjoy singing any song about being blessed!
Come thou fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing thy grace.
Streams of mercy never ceasing,
Calls for sounds of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it
Mount of thy redeeming love.
I love this song because it reminds me that every blessing comes from the hand of our awesome God. And over the years, I’ve asked the Lord to open the eyes of my heart so I can recognize His blessings every day. I hope that’s something you do too! I tell you, if you woke up in the morning, looking for the fingerprints of God’s blessings, you would be a happier person.
For instance, not long ago I was at the airport, and since I had time, I went into the gift shop. Little did I know, I was about to be blessed big-time, and I almost missed it! When I wheeled up to the cashier’s counter to pay for my things, I asked the clerk to reach into my handbag behind my wheelchair, open up my wallet, and take out the correct bills and change. “Sure,” she replied. And so, while standing next to me and holding my wallet, the clerk began to count out the bills and coins, laying everything on the counter one by one. Suddenly a little girl out of nowhere darted up and—clink!—dropped a penny into my change purse. Then she quickly ran back and hid behind her daddy’s knees. The clerk and I looked at each other like. “What was all that about?”
Then I put two and two together. This little girl must have been watching me, fascinated the whole time. She couldn’t help but notice the clerk rummaging through my wallet. So, she must have thought I was poor and didn’t have enough money. And that’s why she felt compelled to drop a penny in my wallet! How sweet! But after I completed the purchase, I wondered: ‘Should I go over and tell that little girl the truth? Should I say, ‘No honey, I don’t need your pennies, I am a self-sufficient person; I’m fine?’
I decided against that. Instead, I wheeled over to the child, smiled, and said, “I want to thank you very much for helping me. You have the wonderful quality of Christlike compassion, and if you don’t know what that means, ask your daddy.” Her father gave me a wink. As I left the store, I realized it was the only response to that little girl’s gift. So what if she thought I was poor and needy? That wasn’t the point. The point was her motivation; her generosity; her compassion. And that was worth reinforcing and commending. Proverbs 18:16 puts it this way, it says, “A gift opens the way for the giver and ushers him into the presence of the great.”
God must have been looking down and smiling. I mean, just consider all the blessings in that one incident: A child’s generous spirit was reinforced, her compassion encouraged, a father was made proud, a proud person was made humble, and God received the glory.
Today, join me in a little exercise. Look for God’s blessings. Then, pass on the blessing. Reinforce the gift of generosity in the life of someone who has been kind to you. As you do, I promise, you will be one happy person by the close of this day. So, find a blessing. They are everywhere. God’s got them for you. And when you find that blessing today be sure to pass it on to someone else. You’ll be a happier Christian.
Song: “Come Thou Fount”; Written by Robert Robinson and Martin Madan; Written 1957; Public Domain
© Joni and Friends
