1 Thessalonians 5:16 -18 “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
That most wonderful time of the year is almost upon us. For me my favorite season is ushered in with Thanksgiving. It is the time when families travel from near and far to gather together in the warmth of our homes, to eat good ol’ comfort food, to laugh and share memories. It is a wonderful time of the year for expressing gratitude, for giving and receiving. And, if you are like my family then you also have the tradition of sitting around the Thanksgiving table sharing with your loved ones the things that you are most thankful for.
With Thanksgiving just around the corner it is my desire to use this opportunity to encourage you to take some time out to sit and reflect on all of the bountiful goodness that God has personally blessed you with and, if you are not already in the habit of doing so, begin making it a habit to practice gratitude on a daily basis. There are so many wonderful ways to live a life of gratitude but I want to share just one of these ways with you.
For about 15 years I have been keeping what I call my “Journal of Blessings”. Many people who do this may call it their ”Gratitude Journal”. I use my journal to record all of my answered prayers, no matter how small. I use it to record all of the many ways God blesses us and provides for our needs, no matter how trivial it may seem. I attempt to be faithful in recording God’s goodness lest I forget all of the many wonderful things He has done for me throughout the years. I know that many things I would have forgotten about had I not recorded them. I cannot adequately express the deep encouragement I have received so many times from reading back over these journals. Over and over again I have been reminded of how much God loves me by how He has taken care of us. This is one sure way to help me to live with an attitude of gratitude towards God for all of His goodness. If you do not already have a “Gratitude Journal” I do believe that this time of the year ~ this time of Harvest and Thanksgiving ~ is a wonderful time to consider starting one. Once you start recording God’s goodness you may find yourself amazed at how easily the spirit of thankfulness begins to flow, filling your heart with joy.
I can only write from personal experience so this is not some expert’s advice but, for me, living with the attitude of gratitude is liberating and powerful! It helps to keep the negativity and selfishness at bay. It fills my spirit with joy and brings me peace and contentment. It opens my heart and eyes to see all of the beauty already in my life. When I am living a life of gratitude I find my own life deeply enriching and the warmth of thankful emotions wonderfully overwhelming, invigorating my spirit. My heart cannot help but to sing for joy. I encourage you to take stock of all the goodness in your own life and be filled with joy!
This week, for science, we’re studying what the earth is made out of. We’ve been learning about volcanos and so, in following with the theme, we made our first home-made volcano. It was so simple and easy to make with the children making it entirely by themselves. The children had so much fun building it and then watching it erupt many times over.
My friend Erik posted another good J.C. Ryle quote this morning about the importance of training our children to pray. It goes like this …
“Parents, if you love your children, do all that lies in your power to train them up to a habit of prayer. Show them how to begin. Tell them what to say. Encourage them to persevere. Remind them if they become careless and slack about it. Let it not be your fault, at any rate, if they never call on the name of the Lord.”
Today my firstborn turns 8 years old. Before I know it she will be in the double digits, something she will be in for the rest of her life. An awesome thought to ponder. Where has the time flown to that I am now the mother of a “little miss independent” 8-year-old? By that I mean that she no longer needs me to tie her shoe laces for her, to bathe her, help her to get dressed, wipe her bottom, brush her teeth, make her bed or strap her in a car seat. She is too big for me to carry ~ although never too big for me to cuddle. While these years have indeed flown by on the one hand, on the other there is the freedom for me not to have to do these things for her anymore. It tugs at my heart-strings in such a powerful way though to realize that she no longer needs me for these little things. But there will always be other things to do in the unchartered voyage of discovery in her life ahead and as she grows into her future.
This last week-end we had Rachel’s 8th birthday party. It was a great success and I was rewarded to hear my little girl say that it was the best birthday party she has had so far. We had 11 of her friends over for a sleepover. Rachel wanted home-made mac and cheese for dinner so I made that for everyone. After dinner the girls painted wooden photo frames.
My friend, Erik, from Bible school posted this humbling and, for me, convicting word on parenting from The Gospel Coalition blog …
“Parenting exposes the progress of our sanctification. Before we ever teach our children the truth of who God is for us in Christ, we will be declaring our faith as we live it out before them. Our children are watching us, noticing our hypocrisies, lies, abuses, speech and conduct. Parenting is so hard and humbling because our family observes us when we respond to the difficulties of life, when we have conflict with our spouse and when we have conflict with one another.
“It is at home where living in light of the gospel counts the most, but for too many this is where it matters the least. Let us make it a priority to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ so that we may live holy lives before our family. May we as parents provide a picture of the gospel at home.”
