# 67 - Check!

Number 67 on my list of 101 things to do in 1,001 days was to get a new devotional and actually keep up with it. I bought a new one about a month ago and have done a really good job with making sure to actually read it and write in it every day. It's called "Experiencing God Day-By-Day".



I really do love this devotional because each day's message is not long. It gets to the point really quickly and each day is seriously a message that really gets me. I truly learn something new everyday. There's one in particular that got to me a lot that I felt like sharing. Before I share it though, quick question. Do you like giving? I love giving. Whether it's gifts, or just a card, or just a simple email trying to make someone's day better. When I know that I have helped make someone happy, it's like a rush of adrenaline for me, especially when the person wasn't expecting it. That's why this message got to me, I had never thought of it this way before.

"When you walk in fellowship with God, you do not have to ask Him to bless you. He wants to bless you! Just as you enjoy surprising someone you love with unexpected gifts, God delights in giving you His gifts in times and ways that you might never expect. Do not take God's gifts for granted. When you receive an unexpected blessing, thank God for His continuing love and be alert to recognize the next time His blessing overtakes you."

There was more than just the passage above, I was just summarizing. This may not mean much to you, but it really spoke to me. God has blessed me in so many ways and it seems like every time something good happens to me, I thank other people first before thanking the one person it really came from. For example, if someone at work tells me I did a really good job on a particular client, I thank them for their praise and move on. Or if my husband does something sweet and unexpected, I thank him. But really, God is the one who should be thanked. He should be thanked for giving me a job and for giving me such an amazing husband.

I don't thank God as much as I know He wants to be thanked. Just like how I get giddy when someone appreciates something I've done for them, God gets giddy when we are appreciative of Him. I don't know about you, but I want God to be giddy!!! This devotional has also gotten me to do something that I did back in college for a period of time. When I was a junior in college, I had the idea to focus on one thing each of the five days of the work week. Since many sins are commonly accepted in our society, it's hard to tell how often we actually sin when you're surrounded by other people that are doing it too. So I tried to pick five things that a person probably wouldn't realize they're doing that often unless they were really trying to focus on it. This devotional has made me want to do it again, so I actually sat down with Justin and we came up with the five things that we're both going to work on:

Monday - cursing. I'm not big at cursing in the first place, but you'd be surprised at how much a person curses, especially in the heat of the moment. At a football game, or in an argument, or just in anger under your breath. Either way, Monday is our focus on not cursing.

Tuesday - Prayer. As human beings, we are ruled by our "work day". We usually have the same cycle every day. Wake up, go to work, come home, go to bed, do it all over again the next day. Because we are ruled by this repeating act, we often forget to pray often, or even at all. Our focus for this day is not to just pray, but pray throughout the day, for anything and everything! God likes to be talked to. So on Tuesday's, we're going to talk more.

Wednesday - Judgemental. EVERYONE is judgemental and critical of other people. On this day, we're going to focus on not criticising someone for their actions, especially since you really don't know what you would do if you were in their situation. This is the one I've caught myself doing more than I realized. So this is a definitely a big focus for me.

Thursday - Gossiping. We are a world full of drama, whether we want it or not. Gossiping isn't just talking negatively about someone, but it's more about the fact that you're doing it behind their back. Even if you're not the one doing it, being present while others do it gives them the impression that its ok to do. Thursday is the day where we focus on not saying a single negative word about anyone, especially if they're not present to defend themselves, and trying to gracefully walk out of a conversation where someone else is gossiping.

Friday - Lying. Everyone lies. Everyone bends the truth. It may not be about big things like stealing or cheating, but everyone tells little white lies every now and again. "Yes I cleaned the house" or "No I didn't get that message you left me asking if I could do you a favor". Friday isn't just about not lying, but more about being completely honest and telling the whole truth about something.

I have a post it note on my wall at my office showing the five things above as a constant reminder. Some things I haven't had trouble with, others I didn't realize I was doing until we actually came up with this list. I highly suggest this for anyone! It's just a little something we can try to give God for all the blessings He gives us.