Today, I’m thankful God is my judge. Life doesn’t always go my way. In those moments, I begin to judge myself. I see myself as a failure and a lost cause. Sometimes, others seem to suggest the same thing. In these moments, I’m thankful God is my judge. Further, I’m thankful that He judges me through the blood of Jesus Christ. I can hang on today no matter how poorly I did yesterday and no matter how poorly others view me, because God is my judge and He is on my side.

My goal today is to walk hand in hand with God. I want to put my faith in Jesus and then live by that faith alone. I don’t want to worry so much about impressing others, pleasing them, living by their standards. I want to be with God. That is my goal.

Almighty God, thank You for being my God. Thank You for being my judge. I know You will do what is right. Please, lift me up and hold my hand that I may walk with You. Give me confidence in You and Your promises. I am all Yours today; do with me as You will.

Please, in order to encourage your fellow travelers, share your gratitude, goals, and prayers in the comments section below.

Today, I’m thankful for sobriety for today. Yesterday doesn’t matter. Tomorrow doesn’t matter. Today matters. I don’t have to be sober for ten years today. I don’t have to be sober for the rest of my life today. I can just be sober today. I am so thankful for that.

My goal today is to be sober today. My goal today is to commit my day to God today. My goal is to reach out to my friends today. My goal is to pray today. My goal is to let tomorrow worry about itself.

Holy God, thank You for today. Thank You for a day of sobriety today. Thank You for the strength and power You provide. I commit to You that today, I don’t need to act out. I am all Yours today; do with me as You will.

Please, in order to encourage your fellow travelers, share your gratitude, goals, and prayer requests in the comments section below.

Today, I’m thankful for my Bible again. Yesterday, in my Bible reading, I was kicked between the eyes with a lesson about one of my own struggles: competition. I needed it. I needed the faithful wound of a friend. God’s Word was and is my friend. I’m thankful that God’s Word doesn’t just always tell me what I want to hear. It tells me what I need. I’m thankful that every time I read it, I see more and learn more. So, I guess I’m also thankful for the Lord’s patience with me. These are lessons I should have learned years ago, but still need to hear them.

My goal today is to keep reading the Bible. Read it again and again. See the lessons I’ve missed. Be reminded of the lessons I’ve known. Then do what it says.

Holy God, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for Your patience. Enlighten my mind’s eye and fill me with knowledge of Your will. I am all Yours today; do with me as You will.

Please, in order to encourage your fellow travelers, share your gratitude, goals, and prayers in the comments below.

Today, I’m thankful for my heartbeat. Not simply because my heartbeat means I’m alive. Rather, yesterday, I learned a great stress-relieving exercise. It is all about learning to be attuned with my own body. For a minute, I measure my pulse, by placing my finger on my wrist or neck. Then, I calmly sit with my hands palms-down on my knees. Breathing slowly, I simply strive to feel or sense my heart beating within my own body. I could actually sense it in my chest and even in my ears. There were moments, when it even seemed like a miniature earthquake, shaking my upper torso. It was amazing. It was a very relaxing, stress-relieving time of attunement. I’m thankful for my heartbeat.

My goal today is to take several breaks during the day to calm down, relax, get attuned, and sense my own heart beat. Then I want to give thanks to God.

Holy God, thank You for my life and my heartbeat. Thank You for being the peace that passes understanding. Help me today not merely to be attuned to my own heartbeat, but to be attuned to Yours. I am all Yours today; do with me as You will.

Please, in order to encourage your fellow travelers, share your gratitude, goals, and prayers in the comments section below.

Today, I’m thankful for my Bible. I’m really thinking of this because I was reading for another blog that I write and saw something in the passage I was reading for the very first time. It wasn’t something big. It wasn’t something subtle. It was something I had just read right past for 30 years. I love the Bible because no matter how many times I read it, there is always something new.

My goal today is to read my Bible with fresh eyes. I want to read every paragraph, every sentence, every word as if for the first time. I don’t want to miss anything. I’m sure I will. I’m sure I’ll learn something new the next time I read it. But I want to do my best to drink it all in today.

Holy God, thank You for Your Word. Thank You for recording it for me and give it to me to read. Help me read carefully and thoroughly. Enlighten my eyes that I may see what you have within its pages for me. I am all Yours today. Do with me as You will.

Please, in order to encourage your fellow travelers, share your gratitude, goals, and prayers in the comments below.

Today, I’m thankful for a new year. This is my first day to post this year. I’ve been busy with family days and getting together with brethren and just taking it easy during a holiday time. New years always feel like a great time to start over. I’m always thankful for a time to start again with a clean slate. But I’m really thankful that I never actually have to wait until the new year. I can start over again today no matter what day it is. I’m thankful for that.

My goal today is to start over today. I’m not going to worry about length of sobriety. The person with the most sobriety in the room is the one who woke up the earliest. All that matters is today. I’m picking up my cross and walking hand in hand with Jesus today.

Almighty God, fill me with Your strength. Create in me a clean heart. Restore in me a right spirit. Allow me to be filled with your fullness. May I bring glory to You today. I am all Yours today; do with me as You will.

Please, in order to encourage your fellow travelers, share your gratitude, goals, and prayers in the comments section below.

Today, I’m thankful for family. It is Christmas Eve. I have family around me. I’m thankful. My recently married daughter and son-in-law will be spending the evening with us. Tomorrow will be the first Christmas day my daughter will not be with us. So, I’m very thankful she is making the effort to spend time with us today. It is a new stage in life. It has some joys and some tears. But, she is still close enough to come buy. I’m thankful.

My goal is to be present in the family time. I want to be with my family, not miles away in my own addicted head. I want to listen, talk, play games, have fun, support, notice, be present.

Glorious Father, thank You for my family. We are all healthy. We all have plenty to eat today. We all have time to spend together today. Thank You. I am all Yours today; do with me as You will.

Please, in order to encourage your fellow travelers, share your gratitude, goals, and prayers in the comments section below.

Today, I’m thankful for games. Chess, Sorry, Uno, Catan, Splendor, Ticket to Ride, and on the list goes. These are all games I get to play with my family. I have one daughter who loves to play games with me. These are great opportunities for me to practice presence. It is tough, because I often am focused on winning. But when I focus on presence, it is more fun and it builds the relationships.

My goal today is to keep playing games with my family and friends who will. But more importantly, to focus on presence and the relationships. That is the important part.

Holy God, thank You for the opportunities I have to connect with family, friends, brethren. Help me use those to the best of my ability and for your glory. Help me focus on the relationships, not on winning, not on receiving, not on taking, but on giving and connecting. I am all Yours today; do with me as You will.

Please, in order to encourage your fellow travelers, share your gratitude, goals, and prayers for today in the comments section below.

Today, I’m thankful for my Bible. I’m always thankful for the Bible, but some days I am really reminded of how amazing God’s Word is. When I find connections, when I see parallels, when some deeper understanding is reached. These are all times when I am simply amazed at the wisdom of God in the revealed Word. When I see how the Word is actually connected to my life and gives me direction right where I am, I am thankful.

My goal today is to live by the Bible. Obviously, that ought to be an every day goal. However, sometimes I see things in Scripture that I’m really not living up to. Then I look at my life and realize following what I see in Scripture is an upheaval. Then I think, “My family will never go for this.” Then I start talking myself out of what I see. My goal is to bring it up, to talk about it with family, and then to live it.

Holy God, thank You for Your Word. Enlighten my eyes to see and my heart to understand Your Word. Strengthen my resolve and discipline my life to surrender to Your Word. You are Lord. Jesus is Lord. I am all Yours today; do with me as You will.

Please, in order to encourage your fellow travelers, share your gratitude, goals, and prayers for today in the comments section below.

Today, I am thankful, once again, for friends. That is common theme for me because I need good friends. I’m thankful for friends I can call or text when I’m triggered. I’m thankful for the safety of friends with whom I can share the journey and the struggle. I’m thankful for friends I can let know what is going on who will listen and pray with me. One of the greatest weapons God has given me is the ability and opportunity to commit to my friends and hold myself accountable to them.

My goal today is to hold myself accountable to my friends. Over the years, I’ve learned when I’m going to slip or relapse. It always begins with being dishonest to my friends or with simply choosing not to reach out to them. The moment I start thinking, “I don’t need to call them for this,” I know exactly where that is going to lead. My goal today is to reach out no matter what.

Holy God, thank You for my friends. Thank You for being my friend. Thank You for being my Father. Strengthen me and discipline me to rely on the friends and counselors you have placed in my life. I am all Yours today; do with me as You will.

Please, in order to encourage your fellow travelers, share your gratitude, goals, and prayers for this weekend in the comments section below.