Remember how the Lord your God led you through the wilderness for these forty years, humbling you and testing you to prove your character, and to find out whether or not you would obey his commands. Deuteronomy 8:2 (NLT)
This past New Year’s Day, I sat down with my Blessings Book. What is a Blessings Book? Let me explain.
A while ago a friend of mine told me that he wrote down the ways God showed up throughout the year in a journal. This was a separate book that he kept so he could write down all that God did along the way. I decided to start a book like this and I called it my Blessings Book.
I don’t write in it every day. As I feel moved by God’s presence, I go to it and write down the way that God has showed up. Sometimes, I write about how he provided when we thought we were not going to make it (like paying a bill or sending extra money when needed). Sometimes, I write about an encounter that led to a great relationship or a spiritual conversation with someone that had God’s hand all over it. Other times, I write about help we received from people or about when God clearly speaks into my life.
Sometimes I write a lot. Then, there are months that I don’t write much at all.
This year, on January 1, I picked up my Blessings Book and read through 2019. What a gift that was! Tracing all the way back to the beginning of 2019, I relived the stories of how God provided, spoke, showed up and generally loved on me (us).
And I remembered. I remembered how awesome he is! I remembered how much I love him and his ways of showing up. I remembered my struggles to obey. I remembered and was awed by his love.
I whole-heartedly recommend starting a Blessings Book. It moved me to worship in a way nothing else could. And isn’t that why we are here?