My, how quickly fall has arrived. Here in southern California it can at times be easy to forget that fall is in deed here. The days are still sunny and warm and the leaves are still green. I did however, get the chance to drive up in the mountains this week and we saw first hand that fall is in full swing. Pumpkins are ready for carving, apple cider is being made, and leaves are vibrant shades of red, yellow, and orange.
It is with this holiday season approaching that I am currently stuck on this thought of giving thanks. I'll be honest with you and tell you that I don't really place much value in all the "I'm thankful for..." stuff you see this time of year. I figure if people really want to develop an attitude of thankfulness it is something they should work on all year round not just when Thanksgiving is around the corner.
However, I have found myself in recent days very critical of others when they are complaining. I typically ignore people who are frequent complainers, but I have brushed off people this week and even this evening who have simply hinted at little complaints. My mind has little red flags that jump up when I am being less compassionate towards others than I should be and it tells me I need to change my behavior. In my head, the opposite of complaining is being thankful.
So, even though this is definitely not my favorite time of year to work on developing an attitude of thankfulness this is where I am headed. I don't like it when people are critical of me so I am making a conscious choice to work on developing an attitude of thankfulness.
Way back in June a friend and I had a good conversation about choosing to be thankful every day. She suggested each day you have to pick out something different to be thankful for and write it down. It keeps you motivated to find new ways to be thankful but also lets you read back through everything you have already given thanks for. I didn't start this back then but I'm going to give it a shot now.
I can't stop the people in my life from complaining but I can change the way I respond.
Monday, October 28, 2013
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Leftovers
I ran out of clean tupperware containers today because they were all in the fridge filled with leftovers in varying stages of decomposition. It was well past time to clean out the fridge and toss the old food. Some dishes were almost empty, some were not touched since the day they were put in the fridge, and some were well...growing. This task did however get me to thinking about leftovers.
I heard a Pastor speak once about how God doesn't want our leftovers. As I cleaned out the fridge and loaded the dishwasher I kept thinking about this concept of giving God the leftovers. I can't remember the entire thought the Pastor was getting at, but it went something along the line of giving to God the first of our time, energy, money, and so on. I'm sure it is a valid principle but it wasn't the direction that my thoughts were headed.
God was clearly saying to me He does want my leftovers.
#1. My leftover time. This is huge. How often do we finish a task only to sit on the couch and veg out for the next 15 minutes until the next task comes along. Give God that leftover time. Text a friend that needs encouragement, pray for your husband, listen to some praise and worship music on you tube, write a note to your Pastor, read a devotional on-line, or sit still and ask God to speak.
#2. My leftover money. Little bits can make a big difference. The change in the bottom of my purse can go in the jar for missions, a 5 dollar bill can buy lunch for a homeless guy, a small donation can help send a teen to a youth retreat, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash can be dropped off at a local women's shelter, and a generous tip can make the difference in your server's day.
#3. My leftover energy. What? Leftover energy? Well, lets be honest. Some days are slower than others and at the end of the day you know a little physical exertion would help you sleep. Wash the windows of the church, pick up trash in the parking lot, mow the yard for the single mom down the street, offer to babysit for the young family you see every week at church, volunteer to chaperon the next youth group activity, or man the grill at the next church BBQ.
#4. When leftovers is all I have. God still cares. He knows you're tired, broke, and exhausted. Some days all we can do is take care of ourselves we don't have anything left to give to others. Kids get sick, cars break down, company comes to visit, water heaters die, emotions overwhelm, accidents happen, and emergencies pop up. Life happens but it's in these moments you can crawl in bed, bury your head under the covers, and cry or you can dig through the fridge and pull out those leftovers. Draw strength, boldness, courage, and wisdom from the things you have in your life and step forward.
How will you use your leftovers today? I'm going to give mine to God.
I heard a Pastor speak once about how God doesn't want our leftovers. As I cleaned out the fridge and loaded the dishwasher I kept thinking about this concept of giving God the leftovers. I can't remember the entire thought the Pastor was getting at, but it went something along the line of giving to God the first of our time, energy, money, and so on. I'm sure it is a valid principle but it wasn't the direction that my thoughts were headed.
God was clearly saying to me He does want my leftovers.
#1. My leftover time. This is huge. How often do we finish a task only to sit on the couch and veg out for the next 15 minutes until the next task comes along. Give God that leftover time. Text a friend that needs encouragement, pray for your husband, listen to some praise and worship music on you tube, write a note to your Pastor, read a devotional on-line, or sit still and ask God to speak.
#2. My leftover money. Little bits can make a big difference. The change in the bottom of my purse can go in the jar for missions, a 5 dollar bill can buy lunch for a homeless guy, a small donation can help send a teen to a youth retreat, shampoo, conditioner, and body wash can be dropped off at a local women's shelter, and a generous tip can make the difference in your server's day.
#3. My leftover energy. What? Leftover energy? Well, lets be honest. Some days are slower than others and at the end of the day you know a little physical exertion would help you sleep. Wash the windows of the church, pick up trash in the parking lot, mow the yard for the single mom down the street, offer to babysit for the young family you see every week at church, volunteer to chaperon the next youth group activity, or man the grill at the next church BBQ.
#4. When leftovers is all I have. God still cares. He knows you're tired, broke, and exhausted. Some days all we can do is take care of ourselves we don't have anything left to give to others. Kids get sick, cars break down, company comes to visit, water heaters die, emotions overwhelm, accidents happen, and emergencies pop up. Life happens but it's in these moments you can crawl in bed, bury your head under the covers, and cry or you can dig through the fridge and pull out those leftovers. Draw strength, boldness, courage, and wisdom from the things you have in your life and step forward.
How will you use your leftovers today? I'm going to give mine to God.
Sunday, October 6, 2013
What Really Matters
This afternoon I have reached a point of contemplating what really matters. I have been pushed down this line of thinking by two seemingly unrelated situations yet maybe my answer to the first dilemma is actually my answer to the second.
Okay so here's the deal.
Situation #1 The hill/mountain directly behind my house was on fire this morning. As it turns out only about 15 acres were burned and the fire was contained before it became a dangerous threat. Never the less, it did raise the question for Jake and I of what we value in our home and whether we needed to get anything out of the house before getting ourselves to safety.
Situation #2 For our life group that we are in at church we have homework this week. We are supposed to write down what our core values are for our family.
Now you see why I sit here contemplating what really matters. On one side I am looking at my physical possessions and asking myself what of it has the most value to me. On the flip side, our core values are not caught up in what we own. They are the reality of how we live our lives each day. So what does really matter?
I loved that when I asked Jake what I needed to get out of the house his answer was myself and Zoe. He made no secret of the fact that the things in the house are just things to him. He looked at me and said that Zoe and I are all that matter. Things can be replaced, we cannot. Having this mindset is a good reminder that for our family one of our core values will forever be this. It is the people in our lives that matter, not the things.
It's always a challenge when you have to look at your own life and evaluate what it is that you place the most value in. Today is a very good reminder for me to hold my physical possessions very loosely but to pour my heart into the people in my life.
Okay so here's the deal.
Situation #1 The hill/mountain directly behind my house was on fire this morning. As it turns out only about 15 acres were burned and the fire was contained before it became a dangerous threat. Never the less, it did raise the question for Jake and I of what we value in our home and whether we needed to get anything out of the house before getting ourselves to safety.
Situation #2 For our life group that we are in at church we have homework this week. We are supposed to write down what our core values are for our family.
Now you see why I sit here contemplating what really matters. On one side I am looking at my physical possessions and asking myself what of it has the most value to me. On the flip side, our core values are not caught up in what we own. They are the reality of how we live our lives each day. So what does really matter?
I loved that when I asked Jake what I needed to get out of the house his answer was myself and Zoe. He made no secret of the fact that the things in the house are just things to him. He looked at me and said that Zoe and I are all that matter. Things can be replaced, we cannot. Having this mindset is a good reminder that for our family one of our core values will forever be this. It is the people in our lives that matter, not the things.
It's always a challenge when you have to look at your own life and evaluate what it is that you place the most value in. Today is a very good reminder for me to hold my physical possessions very loosely but to pour my heart into the people in my life.
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