The Never Ending Gifts

It’s been a great 21 days, with unexpected obstacles and blessings.

I started this Connection Challenge because I tend to get so focused on my daily tasks that I lose sight of God. Having only one task on my list—my daily Connection exercise—definitely helped. But one obstacle I encountered was that I’m so task oriented, I found myself focusing on the exercises and had to remind myself it was all about connecting with Jesus.

One of my favorite exercises was picturing Jesus. A couple of times Jesus became so real as I pictured him, it brought me closer than ever to him. It also impressed on me the reality that he really is here.

Another exercise I especially enjoyed was purposely getting a Christian song stuck in my head. When the music automatically popped up between thoughts, it reminded me to connect with Jesus, and the lyrics also helped direct my thoughts to God.

One day in the third week, as I opened my door and stepped outside to dump the trash, I came face-to-face with the cutest little bird that froze when he saw me.

My first thought was thank you, God, for this sweet encounter. My second thought was no, I can’t thank God. Today is my praise day.

I had to stop and think this through. I decided I should be glad that thanking God was now my first instinct. Since the purpose of these exercises was to form the habit of connecting to God, it was Okay to connect with him any way, even if it wasn’t the assignment for that day. After that, I found myself regularly connecting with Jesus—spontaneously or purposefully—with all the exercise methods.

I’m happy to report that this 21 Day Connection Challenge fulfilled its purpose. I’m now in the habit of remembering to talk with God throughout the day. Having God in my thoughts has and will transform my life (Romans 12:2).

I want to keep this going, so my plan now is to keep practicing my seven main Connection methods on their designated days:

Monday: Give Thanks

Tuesday: Praise God

Wednesday: Meditate on a Bible Verse

Thursday: Pray

Friday: Listen to Christian Music

Saturday: Picture Jesus with Me

Sunday: Worship Together at Church

Of course, I can also do these on any days, keeping in mind the main point of connecting with Jesus. My hope is to progressively incorporate Jesus more and more into my life.

After today, I’ll be back to blogging weekly instead of daily. Thanks to all who encouraged me in this Resolution by commenting on or reading my posts.