Colossians 3:17 Giving Thanks

Colossians 3:17New International Version (NIV)
¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.




This is a picture from part of my yard. Not much to it, but I am totally in love with my view.  Our little mini farm has meant more work around the house than at our old house. There are more animals to care for and a lot more yard work to do. I delight when the grass is tall enough to mow and when I hear my daughter Tagen singing while she is cleaning out the nesting boxes for the chickens I am reminded how blessed we are to be here. But there are still chores that I do not want to do and can find myself grumbling about doing the work. Check out Colossians 3:17, "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Its sooooooooo easy to give thanks in the deeds that you enjoy doing. I really enjoy riding my tractor...its my "quiet time." And anyone that knows my daughter Tagen would never be surprised that she sings while she cleans out the nesting boxes. How often do we give thanks for the mundane chores, the ones you would rather poke your eyes out with your finger instead of completing? Ummm....I'm pretty sure we can all answer rarely or never. I was out in my back yard (see pic for visual :) ) earlier with Hattie while Grei was napping...picking up doggy and kitty poop. Did ya hear that? This mama gets to spend her Wednesday afternoon in one of her favorite places, with one of her favorite people, on a gorgeous 75-ish degree day! How AWESOME! But as I was cleaning up the yard with my little chatty helper, I found myself rushing to get the job done. I was focusing on the fact that I HATE doing that chore and thinking about other chores that I do not enjoy (laundry...BLAH) that still needed to get done cause Wednesday nights are CRAZY busy. And as crazy as it sounds this little voice says...why are you rushing. And of course I begin to rattle off why. And then it hits me....the little voice says, stop, look around. You are not called to check off all your busyness. Instead you are called to do things in the name of Jesus, all the while giving thanks. So I did slow down. Miss Hattie and I enjoyed being outside and talked about the different plants around our property and why it is important to take good care of the things that we have been given. She twirled and pirouetted while I continued clean-up duty. We sang a song and the kitties danced at our feet while the sun hid behind the clouds. What a fun time! I don't have very many days like this left to spend with Hattie. Next year she will be off to kindergarten. I'm so glad that we took our time and I stopped griping in my mind about my chore and enjoyed the blessings. My focus wasn't on my chore any more, it was on my abounding blessings all around me. And I was happy to be doing what I was suppose to be doing....teaching Hattie that we are to take good care of the things we are given, time with her is always precious, pirouetting in the backyard is always appreciated and most of all that even cleaning up after the animals can be done with a grateful and rejoicing heart because I am the daughter of the one true king!

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Grinds in my Coffee, Tears in My Eyes (1Thessalonians 5:16-18)

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18New International Version (NIV)
¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Last week I had one of THOSE days. You know, the kind of day that when you climb into bed at night you feel like the day just beat on you for its entirety. Yeah, that was my day.  :/

It literally felt like everything I had to do, I had to find a way around an obstacle. I felt discouraged and sad for most of my day (not my normal attitude) but sometimes you just have days like that. As it was time to go to bed, I was so thankful that a day is only a day and tomorrow is a new one...fresh slate. Funny thing, often I wish I had more time in my day....that was NOT the case that day. I was thinking about much of my day, and although I felt justified in being a little coarse with my family, I felt even worse that my example for the day had been cranky, grouchy, and short with them. UGH, shall I mention the "mommy-guilt" that I got to experience as I was trying to head off to sleep to top off my day.

That particular day before 7:00am I was already mentally defeated for the day...the coffee grinds in my morning cup of happiness confirmed for me what kind of day I was going to have and the tears rolled. I got caught up in all the wrongs that my morning had dealt me that I continued the theme throughout my day. I don't know why the grinds sent me over the edge, it would not have been that big of a deal to filter them out. But instead, I dumped the whole thing in a huff and started a new pot. My husband just stood in the middle of the kitchen looking helplessly at me while I whined and huffed about how my morning was going along. I was not experiencing joy and I was not focused on being thankful. Frankly, I was annoyed and pouty.

How in the world am I suppose to be joyful and thankful about the coffee grinds in my cup? Well, that's just a circumstance. And circumstances change. I could have found many things to be thankful for at the point (ie I have coffee in my house, the smell of coffee, the ability to make my coffee for me), but I CHOSE not to be joyful or thankful. And the result was negativity and sadness in my heart for most of my day. What would have happened had I chose to be joyful? I'm fairly certain that my husband would not have left for work with such a fretful look on his face, my children would have had a calmer morning, I would have had a COMPLETELY different kind of day and I would have brought glory to my God. Hmmm....one choice can make that big of a difference? Yep! I'm sure of it! God's love, mercy, compassion, grace are all not affected by my circumstances. They are constant. God calls us to "rejoice always...give thanks in all circumstances." Always and ALL are pretty definitive words. There's not a grey area there to do otherwise....even if there are coffee grinds in my cup. His love is suppose to be enough for us. And if I had put things in perspective that morning and prayed over my circumstances and what my heart was feeling, I'm sure my day would have gone much differently. I decided in that moment to be in control and whine instead of giving it to God and allowing Him control in my life. He desires that His love be enough for us and lead our lives...not our circumstances. So I pledge that the next time I find coffee grinds in my cup, I will dance in the aroma of the freshly brewed happiness and I will seek His way and rejoice in that instead of pouting about the ever changing circumstances of life.

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1 Samuel 16:7 The Heart

1 Samuel 16:7New International Version (NIV)

⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

My 4yo loves this verse. She will recite it randomly. And I find myself so thankful that she does. This is a great reminder for me of how God expects us to treat others. And it gives me a chance to talk to my kids about this topic. So often the way we respond to things are because of our own perception. We don't take the time to see what's in someone's heart and respond according to the way the Word of God teaches us to respond. It can be frustrating working with someone who never seems to do things the way you think they should be done. But try to not be quick to become snippy with that person, try to look deeper into their heart. Just because someone's heart is in the right place does not mean that things can just be excused when things go awry. But, focusing on the heart will help how you react to the situation in a loving way. When so many people are focused on revenge and bitterness, you can be a light and example of how God loves us and is merciful. You can be the difference in someone's life!

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Practice makes...

I really hate the saying, "Practice makes perfect." There are a lot of variables that could occur that make it false. Take a kid who has played softball for 5 years. During that time she practiced more than what a normal kid her age would practice. Then comes time to play high school ball. Her coaches think she's a dedicated player, but despite all the time she has put into playing, she never earns a starting position in her high school career. Why? Because practice does not make perfect....it makes permanent. If you're practicing over and over....those repetitions make your actions permanent. You can practice how to swing a bat over and over, but if you're swinging like you're playing a game of golf, you're never gonna be a great softball hitter. Practice makes permanent. Careful what you practice because that's what you'll do.
Take a look at your faith. Are you doing what you should....everyday....to make your faith permanent? Once I really started looking at this topic, I realized that my answer is absolutely no. It is ridiculously easy to put yourself on "cruise control." Know what I mean? Things are quiet in your life, conflicts at a minimum, no major crisis dominating your thinking....so you kinda end up putting life on cruise control and just coast along. That time is when I find myself not as focused on what I should be doing to grow in my walk with Christ. It makes me mad at myself. I want to be driving my life ever closer to God and that doesn't happen when the cruise is set. And then before you know it, cruising becomes your permanent. Remember, practice makes permanent.
There are several things that God calls us to do, daily. Because daily means engaged, focused, habit...permanent. God gives us specific instructions that we are to practice daily. 1 Thessalonians chapters 4 and 5 talk a lot about instructions that Christians are given to follow daily. He wants us to practice daily so that our faith becomes permanent. Verse 16 in chapter 5 tells us "Be joyful always." I have no doubt that there are several moments during my week where I am not joyful, but I should be. Joy is often a choice. The more you choose joy, the more it just becomes a default mode for your life. Its hard to be joyful when the dog has thrown up on the floor, a pen has leaked inside your favorite purse, and the children are emulating WWE wrestling till it turns more into WW3. But, there is always joy and God instructs us to be joyful, always. Rejoice that God is who He is and that you are called to be His child, saved by the blood of Christ....nothing can trump the joy of knowing Him! Practicing joy will make it permanent in your life!!
We are called to "pray continually" in 5:17. Careful not to use prayer as your last resort. Doing so will never yield the relationship that your heart desires with God. If you never take time to just spend with someone, how do you grow in that relationship? You don't. He doesn't say for us to pray when things are overwhelming or stressful or desperate....but to pray continually. Invite Him into your life, every day, every moment. You may feel like there's not enough time in your day to spend in prayer. And that lie is easy to remember when that's what is being practiced in your life. He's not saying that we should be praying every moment, but repeatedly throughout your day. Ya gotta make it a habit to be in His presence. Practice prayer and it will be permanent and present throughout your day.
I don't know about you, but when my kids are fighting, I am not giving thanks about the circumstance. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, He tells us "give thanks in all circumstances." Wow! That is a hard one to put into perspective, if you're not practicing it. I should be giving thanks in the midst of the bickering of my children...my children are with me. Even when you don't feel like it, GIVE THANKS! The more often you purposely practice this, the easier it becomes. We are to be thankful during the quiet times in our lives and the difficult. Practicing thankfulness, even when we don't feel like being thankful, will result in having a thankful heart. This happens because practice makes permanent.
I need to remember to dismantle my cruise control and be faithful and purposeful in obeying what God has called me to do. I have made it my goal to practice my faith daily so that I am always in the safety of His presence. Will you make the same goal with me?

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Hebrews 3:13 ENCOURAGEMENT

Hebrews 3:13New International Version (NIV)

¹³ But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness


I love this verse because I need to remember that I am called to encourage those around me. As a Christian, if people see me being selfish and bringing others down, am I showing them Christ's love? Am I influencing others in a way to be a follower of Jesus Christ, to be excited for God? That's a heavy responsibility!


Here are a few things that I find myself doing more of when I am encouraging:
                             *more gratitude
                             *love on others more
                             *show more kindness
                             *more generous


This verse also causes me to experience less of a few things:
                             *less complaining
                             *less negativity
                             *less self centered thinking
                             *less busyness
 
God's word is amazing and hiding His words in our heart WILL transform our hearts! I challenge you and myself to put this verse to action this week....over and over. Blessings!                   

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