Daily Hand of the Lord Journals

Near the beginning of this year, I started up a daily activity with my siblings called “Daily Hand of the Lord Jar.” Now that I am going to be moving, I will not be able to be there to guide them with this anymore. I didn’t want to leave them with a jar that they’d have to empty every month and papers that they would have to keep track of, so, I decided to get them each journals instead.

In the front of each, I wrote an introduction to the concept and in the backs, I bore my testimony in personalized letters to each of them. This is what is written in the front cover:

Daily Hand of the Lord

Have you ever had a bad day? Sometimes, when bad things happen, we classify the whole day as "ruined", even over just one thing. We forget about all of the good things that have happened. Your Heavenly Father loves you and wants the best for you. The truth is, everything He does is to help us grow closer to Him, even when we feel hurt or can't understand why. I know that the more you make note of all the good things that have been given to you, the more you will be able to see the blessings of those "bad days" and hard times.

How to Use This Book

1. Read scriptures for the day
2. While the Spirit is with you, think about your day and write down 5 things that the Lord has done to bless you
3. To help you, think of starting phrases like "I am thankful for..." or "I saw the hand of the Lord today when..."
4. Go into however much depth you want, draw pictures, or just make lists. Write down events and people who have helped you or made you happy, or just small things that have made life easier (lights, food, plumbing, etc.)

This book is for you, like a letter to Heavenly Father and your future self. So that one day, when you need it, you will know how much He loves you and always has and always will.

 
I know, a little sappy but this is what I put in them for my siblings because I'm going away. I've upgraded the jar format from one thing a day to 5 things, to challenge them to look for more blessings rather than choosing between things to write down. In this way, it doesn't matter if every day all they list is "1. we have lights; 2. We have heat; 3. I had 3 meals and snacks today; 4. I have a mom; 5. I have a dad." because even that is them taking the time to acknowledge blessings that often get overlooked in our daily lives. It sets the bar at the minimum which is definitely something we can be more grateful for and acknowledge. I know I can do more to make note of those things, because often I let that one thing sour a day where I still ate good, had a nice bed to sleep in, and got to experience luxuries that others don't have access to. And that is what this exercise is all about in addition to encouraging journaling, is showing appreciation to Heavenly Father, building testimonies, and building a sense of charity when you stop to think of what others don't have that you enjoy every day.

These past 6 months doing this daily activity with my siblings has been a great blessing to me and I’ve grown so much with them. They really inspire me with how much they love the church and the scriptures and I am thankful that I’ve gotten the chance to be there and help them grow and learn.