The Thank You Journal: A Life Changer

In 2010 I really wanted to become a more intentionally loving person. I was already good at showing love to the people I liked, but I was rarely intentional in showing love to those I didn’t know that well. So I made a New Year’s Resolution that year to show intentional love to a specific person each day. Each day I would pray and ask God for a “love target.” Working at an orphanage and serving at a church made this a bit easier, but I purposefully tried to target the kids that I didn’t connect that well with and people at church I didn’t spend as much time with. For my target each day I would try and give that person a big smile and a word of affirmation or a hug or do something for them. Then at night I made a very brief, “Thank You Journal” recording the opportunity for showing love along with two other things I was thankful for. For example, “1/1/10 – Having dinner with _____ and being able to speak love and truth to him, an encouraging word from Marcus at Friday Fire, a fun drive home at night with friends.”

The intentional love resolution for 2010 was sweet. And little did I know it was amazing marriage prep and in December of 2010 God opened my eyes to someone very special who I ended up marrying in August 2011. But although the intentional love resolution was for 2010, the recording of three things I was thankful for each day has carried on to today. And those computer documents have greatly changed my outlook on life.

At the end of every year I would usually think to myself something like, “Eh, 2015 was pretty hard. And there wasn’t anything dramatic that happened like starting Sillim in 2014 or starting Oak Tree Project in 2013. Those years were better and I grew more then.” That’s honestly how I find myself thinking at the end of every year. Towards the end of 2014 I thought, “Eh, 2014 was pretty hard. 2013 and 2012 were so much more powerful. I don’t think I grew as much.”

But then at the end of each year I would look through my thank you document from the previous year. Starting from January 1^st I would read through it, and I would copy and paste the thank yous that stood out into a separate document. And to my surprise, I would find so many big, special moments from the year. While many days the thank yous were pretty simple, here and there would be really special moments. And those moments would add up! And I would soon realize that I am in fact going from glory to glory, with ever-increasing glory.***

***I shared those words in a sermon, “Remembering God’s Goodness” on December 27, 2015. My wife, Sky, took the words to heart and made her own 2016 Thank You journal and made sure to record three things she was thankful for each day on her phone or computer. While both of us would have stretches now and then of not doing it, we would be able to remember together at least three things from the previous days and make sure to record them all. Sky’s perspective began to change as she reflected on all that she had to be thankful for and she also felt stronger for having been able to follow through with a resolution from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. She has already started a 2017 Thank You journal and plans to keep at it as long as possible.

Here is a link to the sermon audio and pdf: https://www.comequicklyministries.org/blog/dt_portfolio/remembering-gods-goodness/

Here is an example from my 2016 entries…

3/30: Taking Sky’s mom out to Chuck’s restaurant and talking with Chuck some, running into Keke and Rona in the restaurant as we were leaving, attending Albert’s musical and seeing him afterward with Sam

3/31: Attending AIMPMPM at New Harvest and meeting Jacob the new missions pastor at OEM, playing some monopoly with the Love Room girls in the afternoon between classes, goofing around with Kee Baek and Jung Hyun in the dinner line

4/1: Meeting for NK prayer at Mijeong’s place for the first time, Sillim beautification going well and the pastor’s room becoming really nice, driving Hannah home and talking with her some (like we used to with Emily)

Most days are like those three, with the usual work and the usual meetings but little (and sometimes medium) sweet things sprinkled in. And then every so often there would be extra special moments like my sister adopting a baby, Sky’s mom getting baptized, marrying Phil and Sarah, a short trip to Japan, 2016 Ride Against Traffick being so special, etc. God is amazing and His goodness and His love endure forever. It’s a joy and a faith-builder to be able to look back on the big and the little things He has done in my life each day through the years.

Consider making your own 2017 Thank You journal! Try and jot down the three thank yous from the day just before you go to sleep. Reflecting on things you’re grateful for will also help make your sleep sweeter.

Happy New Year!