My Little Black Book

It is usually a bit of advice that I give to others. This evening, I had the privilege of it's benefit.

Often we fail to take the time to stop and...oh, what's the best word. Evaluate? Consider? Remember? Take stock? Acknowledge? Count your blessings? So, in the midst of 'everything is so (fill in the blank...wrong/crazy/hard/difficult/unfair/depressing/etc)' type of moments, I try to encourage others to look around a bit and see things with a slightly new perspective. Look back a few weeks/months/years and see what progress has been made.

So tonight I started to clean up and organize of bit of my little kingdom of piles-o-stuff around the house. We're having some people over this weekend and, well, I just thought it appropriate to do so. And the pile of papers, books and other items on top of the desk was the first place to tackle. Soon my little black book was uncovered and I started leafing through it.

This 88-cent gem has been used in many varied ways. It has been my source for simple note-taking and thought-jotting-down for a while now. I like it because it is small enough to fit in my pocket easily and therefore is quite mobile when it needs to be. I saw notes on meetings I had attended and pieces of information that just couldn't stay in my mind. Go ahead, see if you can rattle off the model and serial number of your water heater! It is not a foolproof system, however, since one page had a list of phrases that were apparently there to jog my memory for blog post ideas. They look like great titles/ideas, but I'm afraid the inspiration isn't there for the details anymore.

But I did enjoy reminding myself of a number of things that the last few months have produced. Notes on the joyful truth of our covenant-making and covenant-keeping God. Multiple prayer requests from our small group at church that have joyously been answered. Reminders about how to prepare for certain things that were just what I needed to read and hear about now. Insights on a new study/reading/discussion plan that has seen great growth and impact since it started. Key passages and phrases from scripture that redirected my gaze. The word 'thankfulness' attached to one person in particular multiple times and one who I would easily say is characterized by, well, being thankful. And then there's those water heater details that reminded me of a couple of cold, quick showers in the mornings and the subsequent provision of a new and improved and energy-saving water heater!

Life suddenly seems a bit better. A little spring in my step now. The last few months have not been silent. They too have proclaimed a little bit more of our sovereign God's love, care and concern. And for that I am grateful.

If you've got your own little notebook of goodies from the months gone by, go find it and put it in it's right place. That may mean 'off the stack of books and papers' if you haven't cleaned up for a while like me. But it definitely means refreshing your mind and soul with a thankful review.