Do you want to learn to be more thankful? Do you want to learn to be more patient? Or Do you want to learn to see a new perspective on life and be able to look at life in new ways? I've got a challenge for you. Last week God spoke to me a great idea of how to work on these things. First, get a journal. Not just a normal one, but one that has a different feel on the inside and the outside, so there is a noticeable difference when you see it and when your writing in it. Then, here's the challenge, write in it. Write down 200 different things that you are thankful for EVERY DAY. Yes, each day will get harder and harder to think of things your thankful for, but it will force you to think deeper and see beyond the surface. Make it a priority to put down 200 different things your thankful for each and every day. I have more than 1,000 things in my journal so far and I've found that I am thankful for fingers to type this and a left foot to walk on and for pizza. They don't all have to be deep, but they all have to be different.
I am only 5 days into this and I've seen a noticeable difference. I am often thinking throughout the day, "I'm thank full for...." or "God thank you that...." I've started to see so much more that I'm thankful for. And they aren't all just general from life, some are day-to-day specific. I'm thankful that I made it home safely from the church. I'm thankful that I had a good sleep last night. etc... Yes, it takes time and thought, but it's so worth it.
This reminds me of a book I read by Ann Voskamp called "1000 Gifts". The main focus of it is that we usually think to thank God after we receive a blessing, but that in reality, thanksgiving needs to come BEFORE (for example, Jesus thanked God for the bread and fish before the miracle happened). Another part of the book talks about Ann's journal, where she wrote 1000 different things she was thankful for over the course of a year. I did that a few years ago and am still adding to it once in awhile. But wow, 200 per day is quite a lot! :)
ReplyDeleteWow that's quite interesting. That sounds like a really good book!
DeleteI've no decided (mainly for time's sake) to only write 100 per day. It's getting to the point that It can take me an hour or more to meditate on more things that I'm thankful for.