I have mentioned before that I use a gratitude journal to record things I am so grateful to the Lord for doing in my life and ways in which He has provided for me (I mentioned this in the post entitled: “Fireproof Christians" under the section "giving thanks in the midst of the fire"). I use the journal to reflect upon the goodness of the Lord. It stands as a reminder to me of His faithfulness in my times of hardships. It truly has been a blessing and encouragement in times I have been struggling. I have also since introduced this concept to my children as a part of our daily devotional time. I try to have them record entries in them a couple of times a week. And when they are having a stinky attitude we try to pull them out and have them read through the entries that they have already written. This helps to change what they are focusing on and in turn helps their attitudes to change.
This month’s challenge is for each of us to create a gratitude journal and make at least three entries in it each week. As always you are always welcome to do more, but try to at least do the minimum of three things you are thankful for each week. Ideally, you would do this on three separate days, but I do realize that things can slip through the cracks sometimes. So if it happens that all three entries are on one day that is fine. The point is to just write down the things you are grateful for. The other part of this challenge is to go back each week and read through the entries you had made in the previous weeks. Rehearsing the goodness of God goes a long way in encouraging ourselves in the faith! It is my prayer that this gratitude journal becomes part of your precious time spent with the Lord each day not just this month, but for many many months to come!
Please know that your gratitude journal does not have to be the traditional paper and pencil, although there is nothing wrong with that at all! But some of us are so accustomed to having our phones, tablets, and/or laptops within reach most of the time that we find it much easier and faster to have an electronic gratitude journal. Honestly, I have used both the paper pencil method and the electronic version and I find that I am most consistent with the electronic version. Find what is going to work best for you. Maybe you want to start out with a sheet of paper in your Bible, so that when you spend time in the word you just record it there. Maybe you would prefer actually having a notebook or journal. Or maybe you like the convenience of having it saved on your phone and when you are walking down the aisle of Walmart and realize you are thankful you have enough money for groceries then you can record it right then and there rather than waiting until you get home and risk the possibility of forgetting to write it down. All of these are perfectly great options. Just find a method that is going to work best for you and the way you operate.
I wanted to let you know that I personally created this challenge because I have not been real faithful in recording the goodness of God lately and I wanted some accountability in this area. So, this is the reason for this month’s challenge. I wanted to make this a part of my daily time spent with God once again. So thank you in advance for helping me to stay accountable in the gratitude department. Your support is so greatly appreciated!
Please feel free to let me know some of the things you are thankful for as you go about this month’s challenge. I would love to hear from you. May the Lord encourage and bless your heart as you remember the goodness of our Lord and Savior. Blessings!
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