1000 Gifts

Continuing to count my blessings for April’s Joy Dare…

3 Gifts Found in Christ

61. His unchanging love.
62. The abundance of His grace.
63. The gift of salvation, through His sacrifice on the cross.

3 Gifts Close

64. Well behaved sons who sat with us in church.
65. God’s word, always there; just when I need it.
66. Our church community.

3 Gifts Reflecting

67. A mirror.
68. My youngest, checking out his reflection in a stainless steel bowl.
69. The shelves on our entertainment center.

3 Gifts Fragile

70. Eggs.
71. My sons’ feelings.
72. Glass cups.

A Gift Cloth, Steel, Wood

73. A well worn wrap around skirt.
74. Spectacle frames.
75. Our multi-purpose dining table.

3 Gifts Moving

76. Our car.
77. Time – 5 years of marriage flying by.
78. Three pairs of hyperactive feet.

3 Gifts Ugly Beautiful

79. Our living room strewn with lego blocks.
80. The kitchen, after a successful cooking session.
81. An overflowing laundry basket.

3 Gifts Orange

82. 3 orange pencils.
83. A plastic hammer.
84. A favorite shirt, donated after more than a decade.

3 Gifts in Dirt

85. Rain water puddles.
86. 3 pairs of sandals caked with dirt.
87. Crunchy gravel beneath our feet.

A Gift Given, Made, Sacrificed

88. My Amplified Bible.
89. A less-than-perfect photo frame made with the help of my sons.
90. My husband sacrificing his comfort, so I can get uninterrupted sleep.

Are you in the habit of counting your blessings? I mean, literally counting them 1, 2, 3… Would you consider joining me on this journey? Would you dare to live fully, right where you are?

Continuing to count my blessings for April’s Joy Dare…

3 Gifts Budding/Blooming

31, 32, 33. Our 3 boys growing in stature, love & understanding.

3 Gifts Worn

34. Our wedding rings.
35. Soft slippers.
36. A multicolored hair clip.

3 Gifts Bright

37. The morning sun.
38. An emergency light.
39. The super bright torch on my phone.

3 Gifts found Looking Up

40. Helium filled balloons at a birthday party.
41. A glimpse of the new metro.
42. The orange evening sun.

A Gift in a Bag, in a Box, in a Book

43. A bottle of water in my handbag.
44. French fries at McDonalds.
45. “For Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor.” (Psalm 8:5)

3 Hard Eucharisteos

46. A washing machine that rattles, but still does the job well.
47. A hot sultry summer day spent indoors.
48. All 3 sons fighting for my attention, at the same time :(.

3 Gifts Woven Together

49. A plastic mat – our kids’ play area.
50. Orange curtains adding color to our living room.
51. My oldest’s fingers entwined in mine.

3 Gifts Inherited

52. A vaccuum cleaner from my mother.
53. A belt from my grand-aunt.
54. My sons’ features & mannerisms, from their father.

3 Gifts Square

55. Tiny square legos the sons use to build a tower.
56. A CD case holding all our kids’ favorites.
57. An old floppy disc case that currently houses crayons.

A Gift Stacked, Stashed, Stilled

58. The kids’ books.
59. Unused toys.
60. My heart, during worship led by my husband.

Are you in the habit of counting your blessings? I mean, literally counting them 1, 2, 3… Would you consider joining me on this journey? Would you dare to live fully, right where you are?

In January, this year, I had resolved to speak positively; and one of the things I wanted to do (to enforce that habit) was start a gratitude journal. After delaying quite a bit, I’ve finally started to count the blessings in the little things of my daily life. Ann Voskamp of A Holy Experience, author of the bestseller One Thousand Gifts, has been hosting something called a Joy Dare.

The goal is to count one thousand gifts in the year 2012. {Not sure how many I’ll be able to do, having missed three months; but better now than never, right?} So, every month, she posts a chart that can be used as a guide to find things around us that we are thankful for. You can download April’s Joy Dare here.

This is me, counting my blessings…

3 Gifts Round

1. Worship DVDs our kids are crazy about.
2. My extra-large non-stick cooking pot.
3. Idly & Vada for breakfast at our church canteen.

3 Gifts White

4. The pages of my daily planner.
5. The kids’ old school uniforms, packed up to be donated.
6. My brand-new, well-used running shoes.

3 Gifts Surprisingly Found

7. The sons giggling in their sleep.
8. A lost & found toy car tyre.
9. A Confident Heart kindle edition, available for free.

3 Gifts in His Word

10. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

11. “Pray at all times (on every occasion, in every season) in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty.” (Ephesians 6:18)

12. “So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him…” (Genesis 1:27)

3 Gifts @ 11AM, 2PM, 6PM

13. A second cup of coffee.
14. Husband home for lunch.
15. Sons building fire trucks with their humble legos.

3 Gifts Nailed Together

16. My sin nailed to my Jesus.
17. My Jesus nailed to a cross.
18. A cross nailed in front of our church.

3 Gifts Waited For

19. An opportunity to pray for a special person.
20. Board games for our kids.
21. A good night’s sleep.

3 Gifts Rising Up

22. Praise rising up in our church congregation.
23. Kids rising up happily from their afternoon nap.
24. Remembering that Christ rose up from the grave & conquered death and hell.

A Gift Hiding, Held, Heard

25. Treasures in His Word.
26. Holding a sleeping son close.
27. The sound of monkeys wrecking havoc outside our apartment.

3 Gifts Opened Up

28. My Bible.
29. My daily planner.
30. My mind to receive His word.

Are you in the habit of counting your blessings? I mean, literally counting them 1, 2, 3… Would you consider joining me on this journey? Would you dare to live fully, right where you are?