A Free Boost

What if I would tell you that there’s something simple that you could do for one week that could boost your mood, your marriage, and your life in general? What if this thing was such a good price that it was free? A FREE way to boost your marriage, mood, and life in general? 

Are you ready? Okay, here we go:

Step one: Think of one person whom you love and love to see encouraged. Get ready to contact them. OK, step two: Tell them that you have an idea but you need a partner to do it with. You want to write down ten things you’re sincerely grateful for every day for one week, and want to share them with someone: with one condition, that they also send back a list of ten to you. Just for one week. That's not too hard is it? 

That's it! Except, of course, doing it. 

I did this "game" with three of my friends so far (one of whom is my best bestie, my treasured Jonathan!) and the result exceeded my expectations! I wanted to do something to be proactive against the blues that like to overwhelm new mommies ,so I did this with several other new moms that I know. Can you guess what happened when the end of the week rolled up? We kept sending these lists. It’s actually addictive! We discovered that the encouragement we got from it came in several different flavors:

1. We needed to stop and look around us and think of things that were a blessing and which we were truly grateful for.
2. Since we did it every day, we needed to be creative, which was a bonus because we were thankful for things we had never thought of being thankful for before!
3. Since we sent them to each other, we had the blessing of getting to share the precious gifts we discovered in each day with someone else, which was doubled the joy!
4. Not only did we enjoy sharing the things we found to be grateful for, we also got to hear things from another woman who we knew was facing similar difficulties as ourselves with thankfulness, which was encouragement on top of encouragement!
5. We started getting addicted to being thankful; even in the month or more since the week was up, we have sent each other lists of thankful-things!
6. These little lists turned into lines of life for bad, awful, miserable, baby-won’t-sleep, overwhelming (you’re getting the picture, right?) days. We turned to them when we felt ourselves going “under” in the ocean of emotion, and used those little lines of gratefulness to hold onto and keep us from drowning.

So here’s my challenge to you: find someone to do this with and ask God to show up in the middle of the lists in special ways. I believe you will find Him giving you personal gifts in the midst of your day-to-day mornings and messes: your living, caring, personal God.

Here's a little tip: If you don’t have time to write things, snap a picture to send that captures your thought. 

Anybody want to be my “partner in thanks” this coming week? 

Come, MAGNIFY the Lord with me! I will magnify Him with thanksgiving.

See Psalms 34:3 and Psalm 69:33.