February
1. Ask God to help you find a new “verse of the month” and a new “word of the month.” Post it where you can see it. And ask Him to help you apply it. (And/or ask Him if there is any task/challenge He wants to give you this month.)
2. Pick two or three new people to pray for this month. Write their names down, pray for them daily, and ask God if there is anything specific you should pray for them.
3. What five things about your past are you thankful for?
4. Pick another item from your “nice things to do for others” list and find time to do it this month.
5. Ask God: “How has my past shaped how I relate to You? What do You want to say about that?”
6. Think back on a bad time(s) in your past. Looking back now, what are five things you can be thankful for about that time or five unexpected blessings that came out of that bad time(s)?
7. Spend at least 30 minutes away from all technology at least three times this week and do something peaceful and relaxing instead. Protect your “alone time” and your time with your family.
8. Ask God: “What or who am I blaming for a problem in my life? How am I actually responsible?”
9. What five things are you thankful for about your father? (Even if he was a bad father or an absent father, you can find five “blessings in disguise.” Trust me, it can be done. For me, my father was absent. He basically had nothing to do with me. But looking back now, I can see a “blessing in disguise.” The fact that he never really cared about me or showed interest in me has made me much more involved with my children. The fact the I never really had a father to hug me and tell me he loved me made me deliberate about doing those things for my kids. So I am thankful that the heartache of having an absent father has led to a stronger family for me, my husband, and my children.)
10. Pick a verse you’ve always wanted to memorize. Now memorize it.
11. Ask God: “Is there any issue from the past that I need to go back to, with You?” (Follow up with “What do You want me to do with it?”)
12. What five things can you be thankful for about your mother?
13. Clean out your refrigerator/freezer/kitchen cabinets of all old food and wipe the shelves down.
14. Ask God: “Are there any “lies” or self-defeating beliefs that I have adopted along the way?” (Like “I’m such a loser,” “This kind of stuff always happens to me,” “I don’t deserve . . .,” “God doesn’t care,” “No one is here for me,” and other things like that.)
(Follow up questions: How have these thoughts affected my life? And how do I perpetuate them, making them more “true” and strongly embedded?)
15. What are five things you are thankful for about your spouse/significant other, if you have one? And about your children, if you have any? (If you do not have these, what are five good things about being single/having no children? Once again, you can always find five, even if you wish life were different.)
16. Brainstorm some new hobbies or activities you want to try. And then find time to try one or more of them soon. (Alternatively, Is there any topic you wish you knew more about? Take some time soon to research it and learn something new.)
17. Ask God: “Is there anything that I need to confess or admit to You right now? (Sins, fears, doubts, judgments, etc.)”
18. What are five things about God that you are thankful for?
19. Choose from your “nice things to do for yourself” list. And do it soon.
20. Ask God: “Am I good at forgiving people? If not, what blocks me from doing that? Is there anyone I need to forgive?” (Even if you cannot do this to their face, you can forgive them in prayer.)
21. What five foods are you thankful for?
22. What three things do you know you are supposed to do (or be doing) but that you are not doing yet? Why are you not doing them? Will you do them now?
23. Ask God: “Am I good at saying sorry, at ask for forgiveness and accepting it? If not, why? And is there anyone I need to seek forgiveness from?”
24. What five things can you be thankful for about your home/apartment/whatever you live in?
25. Pick another room or closet in your house and clean it out, finding at least 10 things to get rid of.
26. Ask God: “What animal/insect/living thing do I most remind You of? Why?”
27. What five modern conveniences are you thankful for?
28. Find 5 unglorifying/improper things in your house and get rid of them (i.e. trashy music or movies or books or magazines, unglorifying decorations or possessions, things you covet too much and that have too much of a hold on you)
(29. Leap Year: Do something special and out of the ordinary today. Even if it’s just going out to eat or taking a different route home or calling someone you haven’t talked to in a while.)
There’s a lot of talk here about how our pasts affect us. How have you overcome wounds from your past? What kinds of “nice things” do you like to do for yourself? For others? Any thoughts on anything else in this list?
