The Blessing Jar Challenge

I don't remember how long ago it was when I first was introduced to the idea of a blessing jar, but I never forgot the idea. Starting January first, you write down one blessing from that day and place it inside a jar. On December 31st you pull them all out and read them. This was such a wonderful idea but it would take me a couple of years before I decided to implement it and this was the year. Maybe it was because 2020 has been a rough year for so many of us, myself included. A year cloaked with such heaviness and uncertainty.
Personally I felt that in many ways I had lost sight of what was important, of who was in control and allowed my heart to become anxious. The idea of the blessing jar came back to me and as I looked ahead to 2021, I thought it would be a wonderful way to help me renew my mind and shift my focus back to Who is really in control.
God doesn't want us to live in a state of anxiety nor does He want us to focus on the maybes, what ifs, and clouds. We were meant to look to Him, to trust in Him and remember that He is always good.
The Purpose
The idea behind the jar was to make us think, to purposefully choose to look for something good each day. Paul tells the Philippian believers:
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8"
When we dwell on the what ifs that means we are not thinking of what is true or even lovely. I know that it is easy to do, trust me, I falter here so often. The blessing jar is a beautiful tool that can help each of us to shift our focus on what is worthy of our thoughts. You know it is easy to see the bad, it requires very little energy since it is visible everywhere we go, but how healthy is it to focus on the bad? Do you know that it actually takes work to see the good, but it is worth it. God is a good God, there is no evil or malice in Him, all His actions are good and that means that every day there is something to be grateful for.
The Result
If we make it a practice to look for something to be grateful the result will be a heart that is filled with praise. When we spend the time looking for the blessings, we will find them and be reminded just how amazing and good our God is to us every day. I know that 2020 has been a rough year, but in some ways I wish I would have done the blessing jar last year so that at the end of this interesting year I could have looked back and seen all the good that still took place because it was there. 2021 may still be a tough year, filled with uncertainty over the future, but the goodness of my God is one thing that I can bank on.
An example
As I prepared to do the blessing jar challenge I knew I wanted a special jar, but hadn't started looking for it just yet. I attended a staff Christmas party where we had a gift exchange and low and behold one of the gifts was a beautiful glass jar with a lid that had the word "blessed" carved on top. I knew that it was the jar I had been looking for but one of my co-workers received it instead. Of course, as many of you know, there is a little rule that says you can steal a gift, but I may have bent that rule slightly seeing that it wasn't exactly my turn to steal. I mentioned what I was planning on doing for the upcoming year and my co-worker graciously swapped gifts with me. While it was a funny exchange (my co-worker did enjoy the warm scarf she received for the jar) I couldn't help but smile at the thought of God's care about little things. He knew my desire for a special jar and had one of my co-workers purchase the perfect one, a gift they thought was insignificant held great meaning to me. 
Will you join me?
What about you? Are you interested in joining me on this year of blessings? I promise that there is a blessing to be had if we just take the time to look for them. We will never go wrong when we focus on the positive and take note of just how good our God is to us every day. In a world that tends to see the worst, let's be a light that shines into the darkness and remind people that God is good and loves them with an everlasting love.

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