The other day I was at a small group meeting at church and the leader was telling us about this professor he had. This professor carried a journal around with him wherever he went. But it wasn’t an ordinary journal that he kept.

This guy only wrote in his journal things he was thankful for.

Big things, little things, everything — anything he was thankful for.

I thought that was one of the best ideas I ever. I think I’m going to start a journal on my phone in a Google Docs document just like his. Only things I’m thankful for will go into that journal.

Big things like how I’m thankful God sent His Son to save me, and you, and the whole world. How I’m thankful for my wife Kathy. How I’m thankful for Gabe, Nate, Charise, Anastasia, Andrew, Kody, Kaleb, Kass, and their families, Josh, and Nikolai, and all the other family members who love me and want to stay connected to me. How I’m thankful for the amazing friends I’ve made since we moved to Portland four years ago.

How I’m thankful for you, my brother or sister who is reading this right now and the friendships that have been born out of this blog.

And little things like the way the sun shines through the east window of my bedroom onto the place where I sometimes do my morning devotions. That God allowed me to live in this little segment of the space-time continuum where and when we have access to information about almost anything we can imagine. The way a new pair of tennis shoes feel on my feet. Or the way clean sheets feel when I’m tired and I climb into bed at night. Or even that I have a warm dry place to sleep at all.

Only things I’m thankful for will go into that journal.

I’ll let you know how it turns out.

I think it might be life changing.

Happy Thanksgiving!

In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

Notes:

Image of writer writing via Andrea Aschedamini, Wikimedia Commons (modified).