A Heart of Gratitude Scripture Writing Challenge
Do you have a thankful heart?
There is a saying that goes something like this. . . . “What if I Woke Up Today With Only the Things I Thanked God for Yesterday?
March Scripture Writing Review
In March, we traveled through the book of Proverbs. As I mentioned in Episode 15, which was the March Scripture Writing Challenge episode, there are 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs. We wrote one verse each day with the corresponding chapter. For example, on March 1st, we wrote a verse from Proverbs 1, March 2nd, was a verse from Proverbs chapter 2, and so on.
Not only that, we also read the chapter of Proverbs to encourage you to build a Bible reading habit. I hope that you were able to write a verse daily and read a chapter of proverbs. If not, no worries, we are going to practice these two habits in April.
We are going to write a verse, read a chapter of the Bible, and we are going to add a new habit since we are habit stacking. When you are learning a new habit, remember, that the goal isn’t to be perfect but to build a habit. I heard a quote and I am sorry, I can’t remember who said it, but it says, You can miss one day but do not miss two days in a row. Or something like that. But I try to give myself grace when I miss a day and start again the next day.
April Scripture Writing Challenge
The scripture writing theme for April is “A Heart of Gratitude, Showers of
Blessings.” You see what I did there, April Showers. .. Showers of blessings?
Anyway, our scripture writing is going to be verses all about thankfulness. And our new habit is writing down 5 Five things each day that you are thankful for. I have been doing this habit for several years and I have done it a couple of different ways.
Ongoing Blessing List
When I first started practicing the gratitude habit, I had a notebook and an ongoing list of things I was thankful for. So for example, on April 1st, I would write down 5 things and number them 1-5, then on April 2, I would add to the list and number them 6-10, and on April 3rd, I would add to the list 11-15, and so on.
This was a super fun way to watch the blessings multiply throughout the year. Now I would repeat certain things I was thankful for such as my family, my health, and my faith, but I really tried to come up with new things. And we will talk about that in a few minutes. After one year, if you write down 5 things each day, you will have over 1,800 things on your list! It is fun to go back and see how God has been faithful throughout the year.
Daily Journey Entry
The second way, that I have recorded my gratitude is how I do it now. I have a journal. I do my scripture writing verse, then I write down what my Bible reading was and then I write, “I am thankful for” and list 5 things. So each journal entry has 5 things I am thankful for.
There is no right way to write down what you are thankful for. You may think of a different way that works better for you. The main thing is that you do it! Write it down! Thank God for His blessings on your life.
Bible Reading
As far as this month’s Bible Reading, I do not have a specific plan. However, you could read through the book of Proverbs again. Honestly, You could read through the book of Proverbs every month and you will find new treasures each time.
You could also read the chapter of the corresponding scripture writing verse. I do think a few chapters are repeated, but that’s ok, repetition is always it a good thing when it comes to Bible reading!!
What if you can’t think of anything to be thankful for?
Hey, I have been there. When I first started this habit, it was hard to think of new things to be thankful for. But one thing that helped me was when a group of Christian men came to our church and were residing and reroofing our church building. One man was praying for the meal and he got super specific about what he was thankful for. He thanked God for the wood and the men who manufactured the 2x4s. He thanked God for the steel roofing material, and the wisdom that God gave man to produce steel, and for the steel ore in the earth to make the steel, and for the modern machinery to mine the ore from the ground, and on and on he went.
It really made me think about how much we really do have to be thankful for. From running water to flushing toilets to refrigeration, and natural gas to heat our homes, to automobiles. All these things make our lives so much easier, and that’s just material things. Think about the brain that God gave you and the ability to read and on and on. God is so good and He takes care of each one of His children.
What happens when you develop an attitude of gratitude?
- It is hard to be sad because you recognize how good God is and how much He loves you.
- It fills you with joy.
- You stop wanting material things and start focusing on things money can't buy.
- It will improve your relationships. When you are thankful for that prickly person in your life, it is hard to dislike them. Also, you can thank God for trusting you enough to put this challenging person in your life to show His love.
- Your gratitude list is a list to lean on during difficult times. Feeling sad look at your gratitude list, feeling depressed, look at your gratitude list, feeling lonely, look at your gratitude list.
- It is a form of worship. You can’t help but recognize his goodness in your life. You are in awe of his grace and mercy.
- Builds your gratitude muscle. My dad died in 2019 and although it was one of the hardest things that I had ever gone through, I was able to thank God for so many things.
Action Steps for this Month’s Challenge
Our theme is a heart of gratitude and showers of blessings. We are building our habit stack
- Write your daily scripture verse
- Read a chapter in the Bible
- Write down 5 things that you are thankful for.
If you did March’s challenge, you will automatically receive the new scripture writing challenge via email before April 1st.
