Faithchick: Gratitude Journal

November 26, 2009

Gratitude Journal

Camy here! Recently I’ve been reading Debbie Macomber’s latest nonfiction, One Simple Act, which my best bud Cheryl Wyatt bought for me (and she got Debbie to autograph it for me, too!).

Here’s the back cover blurb:

What if you, personally, could make the world a better place...by tomorrow?
Debbie Macomber knows the secret to doing exactly that! In a world that seems too often stingy and grudging, she has witnessed how one simple act of generosity can yield unforeseen miracles.

You are about to discover, through true stories, what happens when we commit intentional acts of generosity. Lives are changed in ways we never envisioned. Come with Debbie late one evening through the checkout line at the grocery store. Visit a midwestern train station. Discover the link between a submarine, a few bread crumbs, and some minnows. Visit ancient Galilee as a young boy volunteers his fishes and loaves to Jesus only to see his meager gift multiplied many times over to feed five thousand. Listen in on a touching phone call with an elderly widow. You will stand amazed at what God accomplishes when we make ourselves available through simple acts of generosity.

This blend of true stories and motivating messages will delight and surprise you as you discover how giving the gifts of time, encouragement, hope, laughter, prayer, hospitality, service, and even forgiveness can have lasting, life-changing impact, not only on the recipient of such gifts but on the giver as well.

Debbie Macomber, through the power of story, invites us to live with open hands, offering who we are and what we have to God, to use in the lives of others. When we do so, lives--including our own--are changed in ways we couldn't have imagined. All it takes is one simple act.

One thing I have really liked right off the bat is in the first chapter, Debbie talks about a gratitude journal that she started many years ago. She has a pretty journal in which she writes five things she’s thankful for every morning before she starts her Bible reading.

She said it has helped her to be thankful for even the hard things in her life, and ever since I followed her example and started my own gratitude journal, I’ve discovered the exact same thing.

It has helped me to remember God’s sovereignty over everything in my life, and that gives me a deep-seated comfort in the midst of difficulties.

The gratitude journal has also helped me to have a more positive outlook on my life rather than always complaining (to God, to my husband, to friends) or worrying about bad things that could happen. I don’t think God wants us to complain or worry, and this simple journal has helped me to release some of that negative energy and reduce the stress in my life.

And who wouldn’t want less stress?

So during this Thanksgiving season, I would encourage you guys to consider starting your own gratitude journal. It’s quick and easy and I think it’ll help us all in our walks with the Lord!

Camy Tang lives in San Jose, California. She previously worked in biology research, she is a staff worker for her church youth group, and she runs the Story Sensei critique service. Her humorous romance, Single Sashimi, and her romantic suspense, Deadly Intent, are both out now. She also gives away Christian fiction on her blog and her newsletter YahooGroup.