This is “The List” That Became a 10 Year Miracle
I used to see books or articles on gratitude and think, I wish I could remember to be more thankful. I would try various ways to remind myself to be grateful. Nothing stuck. Until “The List!”
I believe that deep, profound gratitude is a process and not a point of arrival, and that’s where the perfectionist in me gets frustrated. It is a process that has to be repeated over and over again. Being grateful makes you pause and be present in the moment. Gratitude is not only about being thankful for the good things happening in your life but also recognizing abundance even when times are tough.
“The List” that became a miracle
Ten years ago this October, my sister and I started “The List.” The list began after we read the book, Make Miracles in Forty Days: Turning What You Have into What You Want by Melody Beattie. The book’s premise is that we should be thankful for ALL things in our life—the good, the bad, and the ugly. She suggests making a list each day of everything you are grateful for and continuing for forty days. Melanie calls this the Miracle Exercise.
She also highly recommends finding a friend, partner, sibling, etc., to share your list with every day. I believe that sharing my list is what made all the difference! Here is a sample of the very first list I sent to my sister.
The List—Day One
10/31/2011
Today I am thankful that…
- I decided to start the list even though I am not 100 % sure I understand how to do this.
- I have PMS.
- I have a sister – I couldn’t make this list for anyone else.
- It’s Halloween, and I can’t wait for it to be over.
- I have God in my life, and He is always with me even when it doesn’t feel like it.
It’s funny to look back on this list, and oh, how I am grateful to be done with Halloween costumes! Our daily list-making continues. However, over time, we have changed the format a few times. In the end, what worked best was texting our list to one another. When I receive her gratitude texts, it makes me pause and remember all the abundance in my life. I feel less frazzled and more thankful.
A second miracle
Another book my sister and I stumbled upon shortly after Make Miracles in Forty Days was One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Undoubtedly, this is one of my favorite books! It came at the perfect time #miracle! Ann Voskamp reminds me again and again that miracles begin with thanksgiving and gratitude! Here is how Ann breaks down thanksgiving:
“And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them.” Luke 22:19
In the original language, “He gave thanks “reads “Eucharisteo.”
The root word of Eucharisteo is charis, meaning “grace.” Jesus took bread and saw it as grace and gave thanks. He took the bread and knew it to be a gift and gave thanks.
Eucharisteo, thanksgiving, envelopes the Greek word for grace, charis. But it also holds its derivative, the Greek word chara, meaning “joy.”
Deep chara joy is found only at the table of the euCHARisteo – the table of thanksgiving.
Grace. Thanksgiving. Joy. Eucharisteo.
Eucharisteo —Thanksgiving—Always precedes the miracle.
Ann Voskamp – One Thousand Gifts
Without grace, thanksgiving, and joy, we cannot fully embrace the life God intends for us to live. I am far from perfecting the art of gratitude, but this new practice has brought more joy to my life.
Give it a try! Find someone to share your list with today!
Meet Megan Young
Megan is a wife, mother of three children, and writer. Through her blog, The Imperfect Journey, Megan draws upon personal experiences to support others in healing and transformation and growing into their best unique selves. Megan has a passion for finding valuable faith, mental health, and personal development resources which she shares with her readers.
In her free time, Megan enjoys taking long walks, Pilates, reading, and organizing just about anything! Megan lives in Charlotte, NC, but loves spending time in her two happy places: Auburn, AL, and Telluride, CO.
Where to find her . . .
Begin Within is a series to inspire a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only your own life, but the lives of your neighbors as well. Gratitude is a theme we talk about often around here because it ties so closely into other missional living rhythms. Practicing gratitude reminds to keep our hearts soft and expectant and our eyes open. Therefore, the more we embrace gratitude, the easier it becomes to truly see our neighbors and where we can join what God is already doing in our neighborhoods.
My vision for this gratitude series is to help others embrace a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only their own life, but the lives of their neighbors as well.
If you would like to contribute to Begin Within, you can find the submission guidelines here.
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If you would like to cultivate rhythms in addition to gratitude that will empower you live on mission in your neighborhood, check out Cultivating a Missional Life: A 30-Day Devotional to Gently Help You Open Your Heart, Home, and Life to Your Neighbors. This small book will help you make a big impact in your neighborhood as you learn to let missional living flow from the inside out. Get the 30-day missional living challenge free when you purchase the book.
