The Mommy Calling: On My Journey to 1,000

Monday, November 7, 2011

On My Journey to 1,000

In high school I ran the 400. It is the hardest race physically for most people because it's the longest sprint. You have to give 100% of your energy for an entire 1/4 of a mile. If you slow your pace even the slightest, the odds of winning begin to dwindle. I guess there's something still ingrained in me about that 1/4 mark. I set a goal to finish 250 of my 1,000 things to be thankful for by Thanksgiving. That's a pace of 10 a day, completely do-able! However, when I started, I felt the need to "sprint" through the first 1/4. Of course, once I started getting the idea of reaching the halfway mark and completely smashing my personal goal it was too irresistible. I knew if I made it through the "hardest" part of the race (that first 1/4) that I could do it! Surprisingly, the lessons I learned on the track field, still apply to my everyday challenges.

Daily List of Thanksgiving

It is Day 8 of my 25 days of Thanksgiving and I am on #326 on my journey to 1,000. The funny thing was the first 250 that I thought would be "so easy" really weren't. Not that they weren't easy to recognize. In fact, they were the easiest to notice daily. Our beautiful home, our loving family, getting out of debt, etc. The easiest way to feel blessed is for me to think about the first 250 things. The problem was not in recognizing them or feeling blessed by them. I had a hard time being thankful for them. I know it sounds weird, but just imagine how much stranger it felt! How could I find it hard to be thankful for all of the amazing blessings in my life? I guess it wasn't so much the actual act of thankfullness that was so hard, but I felt pretty silly voicing to God just what I was thankful for. Like I said, weird, I know. It wasn't natural, it didn't come easily, and I felt like it was not doing me any good admitting to God how thankful I am for these obvious blessings in my life. But I did it anyway, and I did it quickly. I figured if I could get these "easy" things out of the way it would get easier to thank God because I wouldn't feel so silly. But it wasn't about what I was thanking God for, it was the actual act of thanking Him that I struggled with. And the amazing thing was, by the time I got to 250 it had become so natural, so easy to thank God for the daily blessings of my life. It no longer felt silly. In fact, the act of thanking God turned into an offering of praise to Him. I'm still thanking God for the "obvious" things (even on #326). The fruits of the Spirit, the promises found in scripture, the aspects of who God is, the physical blessings of my life...there truly is so much to be thankful for. Now that I've sprinted through the first 1/4, I'm excited about this new desire I have to slow down, pace myself, and enjoy the act of thanksgiving. And now, I can continue on my way to reaching my new goal of 500 things by Thanksgiving!

3 comments:

The AdventurerNovember 9, 2011 at 2:50 AM
Good for you to keep a list. I Thank God every day for the blessing he has given me and my family. We live an amazing life and we are trying to share with others:) Thanks for linking up to the NOBH
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The AdventurerNovember 9, 2011 at 2:51 AM
I meant to tell you I love your header line, "Turning this ordinary responsibility into an extraordinary opportunity." Love it:)
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3_little_arrowsNovember 10, 2011 at 11:10 AM
Thank you! As my pastor said about the header line, "It was God inspired."

I think the most important part of this challenge for me was to make it a physical act of Thanksgiving rather than just a mental one. It took the worship of giving thanks to a whole new level!
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Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you found encouragement and joy from my posts. I would love to hear what you have to say! It is my responsibility to make sure all of the content is uplifting, respectful, and true. Any comments that are viewed as personal attacks, false accusations, and any use of profanity will not be tolerated. Thank you, and please leave a comment that I will be able to post so others can be encouraged through your words as well!

Proverbs 31:10-12, 25-31

Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies. The heart of her husband safely trusts her; so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the days of her life. Strength and honor are her clothing;she shall rejoice in time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and on her tongue is the law of kindness. She watches over the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all. Charm is deceitful and beauty is fleeting but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her own works praise her in the gates.

Titus 2:1-8

Speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine. That the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things -- that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Likewise, exort young men to be sober-minded in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.

What did you do today?

Today I was an explorer. I went on adventures to see the wonderful secrets of God's creation. I watched as the birds flew across the sky, listened as the wind blew through the trees, and felt the warmth of the sun upon my face. Today I was a chef preparing gourmet four-course meals the likes of which the finest restaurants have never seen. Today I was a teacher conducting experiments, revealing hidden truths, and watching the amazement of these lessons being learned for the first time. Today I was a student, a doctor, a friend, a performer. Today I was a MOM. And tomorrow I get to do it all over again!

My Hope For You

My hope for you, my fellow mommies, is that you will go throughout your day encouraged by successes, challenged by failures, and thankful for your experiences. That you will learn to thank God in the bad as well as the good, that you will use the powers of the Holy Spirit to become the best you can be, and that you will live your life according to the purpose you were given when you were created in the image of God Himself. May you find encouragement here so you can face the hardships of being a mom, a wife, and an imperfect person trying to live purposefully in an imperfect world, with grace.