Thankful Thursday #8

I received an email this week from MOPS International, and I really appreciated it's message. I found it to be relevant to my Thankful Thursdays. I have copied and pasted it to my blog page for today. You can receive weekly emails of encouragement from MOPS International too, just sign up here.

True Confessions of a Whiner

by Christa Hogan, mom of two

Kids are infamous whiners, and mine are no exception. My oldest especially tends toward negativity. I’ve been concerned recently about what this could mean for his future and its impact on our family environment. Is this just his personality or a learned trait? Either way, I knew we needed to make some changes.

The changes, it turned out, had to start with me. I became hypersensitive to my own negative talk, inside and out. For every complaint or negative comment I spoke aloud, I realized there was a whole internal conversation that went along with it.

 

"Thankfulness is a gift
to God and my family."

When preparing for a family vacation to a beach resort, I caught myself grumbling about the weather and its potential to foil our fun. I stopped myself short, looked at my kids and said, “I’m grateful that we get to take a vacation to the beach in a few weeks. I’m looking forward to it.” Vacation. Beach. Resort. Really, what did any of us have to complain about?

Spurred by our new perspective, we started a thankfulness wall that morning. Whenever we start complaining, we tell each other to go write down something we’re thankful for so everyone can see. The list is getting pretty long.

Kvetching about the weather may seem small, but these little complaints can add up to a dark cloud of frustration, especially when multiplied across all family members. On the other hand, thankfulness is a gift to God and my family. I won’t lie; this process is painful because I have to reverse decades of negative talk. But bit by bit, we’re going to fill up that wall completely.   

Dear God, open my eyes to your goodness and all that I have in my life. Let me be a contagious source of gratitude for my whole family. Amen.
--------------------------------------------

I love the idea of writing on the wall when someone is complaining, and I could definitely implement that in my home! I love that idea of being a contagious source of gratitude!

I have been enjoying Ann Voskamp's blog this week too (author of One Thousand Gifts)- you can find two great posts here and here.


Psalm 34:1
I will extol the Lord at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.


Psalm 106:47
Save us, Lord our God,
and gather us from the nations,
that we may give thanks to your holy name
and glory in your praise.

2 Corinthians 4:15

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.