Gratefulness

It's been so long since I've posted on here that I forgot my password.  Man.

I need to talk today and I feel like sometimes what I need to talk about, other people might need to hear as well. So I'm back at my blog today.  I stumbled on this website... honestly, I think divine intervention sent me here...http://www.aholyexperience.com/2012/03/how-to-help-raise-grateful-kids/... but don't click there just yet.

We've been in a funk in our family the past few months.  Busy lives...hurried here & there and full schedules demanding more time than we probably have...have all lead to some cranky Hanelines.  Probably more so me than the others, but it's reflecting into our kids & that's not something I like to see.  I listened last night as my husband tried to have a devotion with my kids.  I was working on something at the kitchen table and they were in the living room sitting on the couches.  What he had to say was really good...talked to them about what we think we deserve in this life.  He asked the kids what they really wanted right now that they thought would make them happier in life... two answered a new bike, one answered an air soft gun  & some other material things were mentioned as well.  Fair enough, they are kids after all.  But, all during this conversation he was having to stop to say things like "quit messing with your sister", "turn around & sit up, listen to me", "stop playing with the blinds", yada, yada, yada.  Point being, they were not really listening.  I think he spent just as much time redirecting the kids as he did trying to teach them about being thankful for what we have.  I guess I was expecting them to sit there in awe of all the wonderful things my hubs was trying to teach them and rattle off some divine answers about all they should be grateful for.  Ok, I know... it's a long shot.  Whatever.

My kids are good kids, but they fuss & fight ALL the time. I guess it's normal for brothers & sisters to do this... I don't know, I'm an only child...but it really bothers me how they treat each other.  But really, I'm not much better.  My short temper from being stressed all the time doesn't mean that my reactions to their behavior are any better than their reactions to each other.   I don't handle things the best way all the time.  I'm constantly thinking that I've failed in how I should handle certain situations with my kids.  I'm being very honest here.  I need a lot of help & improvement.... the kind that only comes from the grace of God.

You think that the people you love the most are the ones you should treat the best.  However, it's often the other way around.  I guess it's because we know that we will always be loved by our family & most of the time they forgive us easily.  Still, it's not how we should live our lives.  If our family continues down this path, then I'm afraid I am leading them on one of destruction. But that's where the love of God comes in.  I don't deserve anything that I have... grand or small.  It's not really mine anyway, but the Lord choose to bless us because we are His.  I want my kids to be thankful for more than material things.  I want them to see the bigger picture in life.  But most of all I want my family to love God & desire to serve Him.  At this point in their lives, it's our responsibilities as parents to show them how.  I'm the resource God is using to show them how to love their brother & sister, love their neighbor, their friends, their family.  I want them to be grateful for all the many blessings that they have right in front of them that they don't even realize.  I want to be a reflection of God's love & mercy.

This link is a super-duper, great tool for doing just that.  So NOW you can finally click the link to read all the goodies for yourself.  And I think I'm going to pick up a copy of this book that all this stemmed from as well.