Always having been a fan of the unexplained, I still enjoy watching reruns of The X-Files. (Although I must clarify that I don't believe in aliens and I don't subscribe to the new age philosophy presented there.) So I decided to establish a more positive filing system of my own. Rather than gather up all the questions, I am gathering affirmations. I call it the E-files - E for encouragement.
In this file I have placed letters and thank-you notes from friends, kids in my youth group, and even a few anonymous notes of encouragement. Recently I added a humorous homemade certificate of appreciation some good friends presented to me and a thank-you note from a friend who spent the night as we attended a women's conference. We stayed up half the night talking and she wrote how much she appreciated the "adult" conversation. It was like a thirty-something slumber party!
I also include favorite devotions, scriptures and any other writing I come across which lifts me up and makes me smile. This is not meant to be a brag file by any means - it's for my eyes only. The E-file is a place I can turn to when I need a laugh or I've had a bad day or just gotten my feelings hurt and need to remember that someone still likes me.
Although it's great therapy, the E-file is not a substitute for God or prayer or scripture reading, rather an enhancement of that time with the Lord. It's also a tool which sometimes leads me to study some unexpected topic or pray for a dear friend.
I encourage you to start your own E-file and each time you look through it, thank God for all who have been a blessing to you and pick out a scripture from your file and read the entire chapter in your bible. I hope you will be as blessed by this as I am and that we will all be led to be better encouragers of others.
"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness." - Hebrews 3:13