Thanksgiving

This week we focus on the holiday of Thanksgiving.  However, in the midst of fall break and holiday parties and cold season, we are so super busy and overwhelmed that it seems impossible to quietly take a moment and be sincerely thankful.  For me, personally, I realized that there was one more thing that I overlooked that was keeping me from being thankful (besides having a busy schedule and being deprived of sleep).  Forgiveness.  There were some wrongs that I made in the past that I made right by asking for forgiveness, however I was still experiencing guilt.

I realized that God was telling me that there was another part of forgiveness that I overlooked.  Although others may have forgiven me and I may have forgiven others,  have I forgiven myself?  That's such a foreign concept.  But it is necessary to move on and live in peace in order to be in a position to be thankful.

Forgiving myself means to set myself free from self-condemnation.  If Christ can forgive me then I should definitely be able to forgive myself.   Romans 8:1 says,  "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."  When I realized this great truth, my spirit was so free to focus on Christ, not on myself, not on my burdens, and not on my faults.

If this sounds like something you can relate to in your life.  Ask the Lord in a simple prayer to give you strength and courage to forgive yourself and cleanse your conscience from all guilt and condemnation.  Then release your burdens to the Lord, cast your cares upon Him.  Feel the freedom of a lightweight, guilt-free life . . . and start praising the Lord with Thanksgiving!

Happiness

If you could have any one thing in life, absolutely anything, what would it be?  Prosperity?  A better body? Good health?  A long life?  A great marriage?  A better job?  A fabulous career?  What?

If you answer, "Prosperity," I might respond, "What good is prosperity without health?" If you answer, "Great health, " I could point out a lot of healthy people who are miserable because they hate their jobs or don't make enough money.  No matter which answer you choose, I could point out someone who has exactly what you want and yet is unhappy.

The truth is, more money, better looks, better health, a better job, a better marriage, and even a longer life are really only a means to an end.  What you really want goes one level deeper than that.  What you really want is happiness.  -Steven K. Scott

So, waht is happiness and how do we attain it?  Sarah Young talks about happiness in her devotional, Jesus Calling, as being content in the Lord no matter where you are in life or what you're going through. 

You can live as close to Me as you choose.  I set up no barriers between us; neither do I tear down barriers that you erect.  People tend to think their circumstances determine the quality of their lives.  So they pour their energy into trying to control the situations.  They feel happy when things are going well, and sad or frustrated when things don't turn out the way they'd hoped.  They rarely question this correlation between their circumstances and feelings. Yet it is possible to be content in any and every situation.


Put more energy into trusting Me and enjoying My Presence.  Don't let your well-being depend on your circumstances.  Instead, connect your joy to My precious promises.:

I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go.

I will meet all your needs according to My glorious riches.

Nothing in all creation will be able to separate you

from My Love.

12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.
Philippians 4:12

15 I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. 

Genesis 28:15

19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 4:19

 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

Romans 8:38-39

Habits

Below is an excerpt from Simply Charlotte Mason about instilling good habits in our children.

"Here are some habits that Charlotte specifically mentioned in her writings. As you can see, most are matters of character and can be cultivated in everyday situations by example and practice. Charlotte recommended working on one habit at a time and concentrating on it for about four to six weeks, while remaining ever vigilant of already-formed habits. "

• Accuracy
• Attention
• Candor
• Cleanliness
• Courtesy
• Even Temper
• Gentleness
• Kindness
• Modesty
• Neatness
• Obedience
• Order
• Perfect Execution
• Punctuality
• Regularity
• Remembering
• Respect
• Thoroughness
• Truthfulness

10 Points of Joyful Parenting- Ann Voskamp

10Point Manifesto for Joyful Parenting

(any text in turquoise links to posts for more explanation & encouragement)::

1. Today, I will make our home a house of prayer. I will pray at set times. And I will invite our children to come move into an interior space that lives with God.

2. Today, I will transfigure all things into beauty, and I will refuse to see anything else.

3. Today, I will not have any emergencies. There are no emergencies! Only amateurs hurry.

4. Today, when stress mounts, I pray to dismount it with gratitude. My stress management plan will be intervention with verbal thanks. I can only feel one feeling at a time, and I choose to give thanks at all times. Fight feeling with feeling!

5. Today, I will pray to speak words that are only STRONG words, words that make these children feel strong. Grace words. Grace is the only non-toxic air. All other words I breathe are death words.

6. Today, I will pray to be consistently consistent. I will create safe rhythms that our children can find security in. I willcreate daily ceremonies because everyday we are CELEBRATING the gift of now!

7. Today, the moment when I am most repelled by a child’s behavior, that is my sign to draw the very closest to that child.

8. Today, I will hug each of my children as many times as I serve them meals — because children’s hearts feed on touch. I’ll look for as many opportunities to touch my children today as possible — the taller they are, the more so.

9. Today, my priorities will be all Things Unseen.

10. Today, I will laugh! And I will let the little children laugh! I will create a culture of JOY!

You can read this list, and Ann Voskamp's blog here.

She also has this book "One Thousnd Gifts": 

Atmosphere, Discipline, Life

Charlotte Mason Method A method of education popular with homeschoolers in which children are taught as whole persons through a wide range of interesting living books, firsthand experiences, and good habits. Charlotte Mason was a British educator who lived in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Her method, the Charlotte Mason method, is centered around the idea that education is three-pronged: Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life. By “Atmosphere,” Charlotte meant the surroundings in which the child grows up. A child absorbs a lot from his home environment. Charlotte believed that atmosphere makes up one-third of a child’s education. By “Discipline,” Charlotte meant the discipline of good habits — and specifically habits of character. Cultivating good habits in your child’s life make up another third of his education. The other third of education, “Life,” applies to academics. Charlotte believed that we should give children living thoughts and ideas, not just dry facts. So all of her methods for teaching the various school subjects are built around that concept. (Excerpt from www.simplycharlottemason.com)

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