1,000 gifts
Well, friends, I made it to 1,000 gifts. It took me a little more than a month to reach this point, but I have arrived, and I do not want to stop counting. It would be detrimental to my mental well-being to stop counting these ways the Lord loves me now. I am in too deep..
To describe to you the ways in which my heart and mind have changed as a result of counting these gifts would be hard. The act of writing down these gifts is not magical nor powerful within itself. However, the act of training one's mind to think about the gifts of life rather than dwelling on unmet "needs" or desires is Biblical and healing.
Throughout this past month, each day has been different. The first day I began chronicling my gifts, I was practically giddy. The initial shock or novelty eventually wore off, but my mind was in a process of renewal as I chose to say thank you in the moments when I wanted to scream or pull out my hair. As a teacher and a missionary, there are moments when life is completely unpredictable and things just do not go exactly as planned. Come to think of it, I am pretty sure that is the way life is for all of us at one moment or another. But the thing that the Lord keeps revealing to me over and over again is that joy is a choice. We choose how we respond to the things that He brings into our lives. We are in control of our feelings and our reactions.
Here is the bottom line. God is good. He never changes. His love for us is eternal, and His word stands firm in the heavens (Psalm 119:89; thanks for that verse, Mom!). If you have not begun a gratitude journal, I would highly recommend it. You will be surprised at how the Lord will begin to work a miracle in you. For "He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ [right up to the time of His return], developing [that good work] and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you (Philippians 1:6, Amplified Bible).
And finally, I will leave you with one of my new favorite verses, James 1:17.