Three things to be thankful for, in black and white: writing to see better
We say “thank you” in our heads, and a minute later we no longer think about it. Writing does something else: it fixes, specifies, leaves a trace. This quest invites you to note down every day, in black and white, three specific things you give thanks for.
What it looks like in your day
A medium. A dedicated notebook, a page of your planner, your phone's notes. What matters: always the same one, to keep a sequence and be able to reread.
A moment. The evening is ideal, but noon or morning work. Fix it so you don't forget.
Three types of subjects. To vary your outlook, choose each day from different categories:
- A person. Someone who did you good: “My colleague Amine who explained the software without making fun of me.”
- A circumstance. An event or a situation: “The appointment that went better than expected.” “The rain that stopped right as I walked out.”
- An aspect of God. What you perceived of him: “His patience with me this morning.” “His light in yesterday's conversation.”
Write a complete sentence. Not “family, health”: a real sentence, with a detail. It is the detail that makes gratitude alive.
End with a thank-you to God. Write “Thank you” and say it.
Reread from time to time. After three weeks, you will have about sixty subjects. By rereading them, you will see what God has given.
This exercise is different from spoken gratitude: writing forces you to look, to choose, to be specific. It also makes generalities disappear.
If you are short on time, three lines. If you are shy, nobody will read it. If you are lost, start with the “circumstance” category: it is the easiest.
What the Bible says
Paul asks us to give thanks:
“Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
“In every thing give thanks”: gratitude is a practice, not only a feeling. The psalmist makes praise a personal commitment:
“To the chief Musician upon Muth–labben, A Psalm of David. I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High.”
“I will praise thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works”: telling means enumerating, naming. Writing is a way of telling. Psalm 118 opens with a sentence of gratitude that you can take as the conclusion of each page: “O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever” (Psalms 118:1).
Pitfalls to avoid
Writing generalities. “Thank you for everything” leaves nothing. Look for a specific detail that is your own.
Making a mechanical list. If you write the same three things every evening, your gaze falls asleep. Vary.
Comparing yourself. Gratitude is not a ranking of blessings. Even small things count.
Writing to be read. This notebook is for you and for God. Avoid turning it into an exercise in style.
Giving up after a week. The first days are easy, then weariness comes. Keep the requirement of three, even very simple ones.
Tonight, write three sentences: a person, a circumstance, an aspect of God. Then say thank you.