Lists are a great passion for many of us. For my birthday last year, my sister purchased a t-shirt for me that was green and had printed on the front, "Lists are my love language." You will catch me making lists for EVERYTHING! I will never forget the day I realized that my husband and I had carried our passion for lists over to our daughter. The perfect procrastinator, our daughter rarely completes her school work on time. When I was in her classroom one afternoon after school, I noticed a stack of unfinished work on her desk with a sticky note on top. The note read, in her not yet perfected handwriting, "To Do"
We make lists about things we want to remember, things we want to accomplish, and so much more. This week, I want to invite you to take this favorite practice among many of us, and use it to draw nearer to God. Allow me to help you with this new opportunity, by giving you a prompt for a list for you to write each day this week.
Today, Monday, why not kick the week off with a little bit of gratitude. Many of us view Monday as a huge downer, but instead, let's focus on what we are grateful for today. Take a moment today, and write a list of the things you are thankful for. Let this be an opportunity to express gratitude to God through your words. On Tuesday, take a moment and write down names of individuals who you know who do not yet have a personal relationship with Christ. Pray that God will open up their hearts to hear about Him and to fall in love with Him. Pray for opportunities to share God's love with them. It still counts if you do not know there names and can only describe them such as, the lady who rings up my groceries each week. Wanna have a little extra fun with this? Make this list on a sticky note. Post it to your steering wheel, and pray for these individuals every time you are at a stop sign or red light in your car. You could also post it by your sink or on your refrigerator door and pray for someone to find the living water of God every time you get a drink of water in your house. The possibilities are limitless for how and when we decide to pray for another. On Wednesday, take a moment for written prayer. List out those individuals or things that you want to pray for/about. Lift up these prayers to God as you are creating your list. On Thursday, take a moment to wrap yourself in the grace of God and give this good gift back to others. Make a grace list. On this list you can write things that you need God's grace and forgiveness for in your life. Also, take a moment to add to this list those who you need to show God's grace and forgiveness toward yourself. We hold grudges far too often. Let's focus on grace on this day. Friday is always a fun day of the week. Fellowship is a very important part of our faith journey. Take a moment on this day to make a list of names of other followers of Christ who you would like to get to know better. Then, begin going down your list and setting up an opportunity or two of fellowship in the days ahead. Saturday, sit down and make a list of your favorite Scriptures. Take it one step further and memorize each of the Scriptures verses or passages over the next several months. It is always good and lovely when we can draw nearer to God's Word. Sunday is a time to worship God. Take a moment to list out your favorite traditional and contemporary worship songs. Want to take it one step further? If you have the ability, make a playlist of all the songs you have on your list. Listen to it throughout the week when you need a reminder of God's presence and power in your life. I hope these lists do not just help you draw close to God this week in various ways, but I hope it helps you to dig a little deeper in your relationship with God in the days and months ahead.