All Things Beautiful

If you’re following me over on Instagram, then you know that I’ve been journaling through the monthly devotional kits by Illustrated Faith for a number of years now. The one for January was called All Things Beautiful. I thought it would be good to do a monthly recap of my reflections on here to share with those of you who do not use Instagram.

The devotional is written by Shanna Noel, the founder of Illustrated Faith, who I love dearly! She has such a beautiful heart for God and people. In the devotional, she encourages us to reflect on the past year to be more aware of how God was working in our lives. To see what He was teaching us. Also, to get a glimpse of what He’s preparing us for that is to come. She also encourages us to share that testimony to encourage others of God’s faithfulness and love.

The importance of our testimony

God’s heart is for people – His creation; that all would know Him and be saved.
How will they hear of Him?
How will they see Him?
How will they come to know Him?
His creation speaks.

He makes Himself known through us.
Our testimonies give evidence of His love.

”First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.“

1 Timothy‬ ‭2‬:‭1‬-‭6‬

Our testimony tells of His nearness

Taking a “zoomed-in approach”, like Shanna says, as we reflect on our lives, we see the details we may otherwise miss; we “get to discover the beauty of God’s presence in the everyday moments”

”I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.“

Psalm‬ ‭9‬:‭1‬-‭2

Recounting the everyday – with thankfulness and reframing to see all the good – gives testimony to His faithful presence, constant love, and kindness. I’ve shared, on instagram, my experience of this in keeping a joy journal (see below). I can say confidently that it’s true – we cannot escape His presence; He is with us, leads us, and goes with us.

My 2024 Joy Journal

Last year, I kept a 365-day journal to record my gratitude because my focus for the year was Joy. It was a very beneficial practice and I can confidently say that I have seen the goodness of God in the land of the living!

That year saw trial after trial. In those pages, I met with God and He showed up. Just recounting, with Him, what happened in my day – the good, the hard, the highlights, the mundane – helped me to see them in a new light. This practice has shifted my perspective just slightly so that I no longer need to write gratitude; instead I document all of life with immense gratitude.

My #olw for 2024 is abide. Part of that is abiding in joy so I will continue recounting my everyday in all its goodness. I used some of the kits elements for this cover page.

Monthly reflection in my faith planner

There is such a generous amount of items in the devotional kits and I usually have lots left over after journaling. So, I decided to use them in my faith planner as shown below. I don’t like to hoard so I am glad to have this other use for the kit!

The monthly calendar pages contain short prayers based on the scripture plan I’m currently reading. It’s the Psalms & Proverbs plan, also by Illustrated Faith.

The faith planner itself is by The Happy Planner. It’s in their twin-loop collection and in the faith layout. This particular one was released in the Spring of 2023 and is no longer available, but they likely will have others in future releases.

You can check out the #IF_AllThingsBeautiful hashtag on Instagram for more inspiration. Also, visit IllustratedFaith.com for the kit (if still available), the digital version and/or any related products. Stay tuned for February’s recap coming soon!