#31 days of adoration, Lettering a verse a day by Sarah Anderson

Last year I successfully completed the #100dayproject over on Instagram.  You choose to do something for 100 successive days and I chose to art journal everyday.  

I still can't believe I stuck to it as I'm not usually great at these things.  

I also tried #30daysofbiblelettering but only managed about a week.  

One of the big differences that affected the success and failure of these two challenges was that I always had the minimum amount of time to complete the art journal task - 10 mins, but not always the lettering, which would take at least 30mins.  I could choose to spend longer on the art journal but couldn't minimise the time on the lettering (bigger page as well as higher expectations of illustrating verse or spending significant time on fancy lettering).

This January I have challenged myself to art journal everyday.  I find it great for my emotional well-being and I feel so relaxed after doing it. I decided that I also wanted to have another go at lettering a verse a day.  This is partly because my journaling bible isn't with me at the moment (more on that next month) and I didn't really want to start a new one! I also wanted something from the bible to 'ponder' each day.

Two things have kept me on track so far.  I planned to just write out the verse in a diary, with a nice fountain pen.  This only takes a few minutes, so is achievable everyday, but if I have more time I can embellish the pages.  The challenge involves a lot of Psalms so I'm also reading the whole Psalm (usually in the Passion Translation) the verse is taken from.

The second thing keeping me on track is a few verses I read in The Passion Translation from 2 Peter 1 that have had a huge impact on my thinking.

God's Generous Grace

"Everything we could ever need for life and complete devotion to God has already

been deposited in us by His divine power.  For all this was lavished upon us through

the rich experience of knowing Him who has called us by name and invited us to

come to Him through a glorious manifestation of His goodness.  As a result of this, He

has given you magnificent promises that are beyond all price, so that through the power 

of these tremendous promises you can experience partnership with the divine nature,

by which you have escaped the corrupt desires that are of the world.

Faith's Ladder of Virtue

So devote yourselves to lavishly supplementing your faith with goodness,

and to goodness add understanding,

and to understanding add the strength of self-control (inner strength).

and to self-control add patient endurance,

and to patient endurance add godliness,

and to godliness  add..."

Since these virtues are already planted deep within, and you possess them

in abundant supply, they will keep you from being inactive or fruitless in

your pursuit of knowing Jesus Christ more intimately...."

2 Peter 1:3-8

[my emphasis]

I don't have to 'try hard' to have self control or self discipline, I already have it!!  God has already given me the strength I need to do the things I find hard but are good for me (like healthy eating!!).

So a combination of sensible expectations of how long I can spend on something to always ensure it happens in my day, and the knowledge that God has given me the inner strength to have the 'umph' to both art journal daily (for my emotional and mental well being) and read/write out part of the bible daily (for my spiritual/mental well being), is proving successful.

I really encourage you to take hold of these verses and know that you have all that you need to be who God made you to be, without striving, but resting in the truth.

I'm working in a passport sized traveler's notebook.   Just holding it gives me pleasure which means I want to work in it (another means of encouraging myself to write a verse a day).  For the month of January I am using Sara Hagerty's (from @everybitterthingissweet on Instagram) list of verses on adoration.