You act just like your Father!!

How many times did you hear that phrase when you were a kid? And how often was it used in a negative way?

Isn't it funny how when you become a parent, you can see the good--and sometimes not-so-good--traits of both you and your spouse in your children? One of the biggest character traits that Ben has passed to our children is his silliness. Anyone who knows Ben casually probably doesn't know just how goofy he can be. He's quite the crack-up! As I have watched our children--especially Abby, mostly because she's older--I have seen how they have picked up on his silliness. I can't begin to count the times I have told Abby, "Oh, you act just like your daddy!" when she has done something totally off-the-wall. Often, I'll catch her pulling silly faces in the mirror while she's washing her hands or when she's supposed to be brushing her teeth! And even Hayden is getting into the funny faces act; he has started making funny faces at himself and laughing at them!

I started thinking about that this morning. How much do I act like my Father--my Heavenly Father? Let's take a look at some of His attributes for a moment and see how they apply to everyday life.

1. God is loving. Throughout both the Old and New Testaments we see God's love for humanity expressed in so many ways. He made covenants with His people (Gen. 9:8-17; Gen. 15); He provided for their every need, even when they complained (Ex. 16-17:7); He gave His people rules for living (Ex. 20:1-17); and He even gave them what they whined for and thought they wanted when they kept asking for a king, even though He knew a king would be bad for them. (The time of the kings began in I Sam. 8.)

2. God is giving. There is no greater example of God's giving nature than what we see in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave..." He gave us His very best!

3. God is forgiving. Example after example of God's forgiving nature is seen throughout the Bible. Do a quick search in a concordance or on a Web site like Bible Gateway and you will see the different verses on God's forgiveness.

Here are a few examples of how these apply to everyday living:

Love: Am I unconditional with my love for others? Do I freely give my love to others, thereby showing them God's love for them? How many times a day do I tell my children and my husband that I love them? How do I show them my love for them? Do I let my friends know that I love them, too?

Giving: How freely do I give of what I have? Do I give to those in need? Do I give the Lord what is rightfully His--my tithe--on a regular basis? Do I give above the tithe? Do I give my best, or do I give what I think I can get by with giving? Do I give cheerfully? Do I give to my children freely, or do I tell them "No" too often?

Forgiving: How easily do I forgive? Do I hold a grudge against others, or do I let it go? If my children do something wrong, am I quick to forgive them or do I hold it over them for a while? Do I forgive my husband easily, or do I make him pay penance of some sort? Am I as quick to forgive my family as I am to forgive others?

As a parent, it is my job to model God to my children. Sometimes, this parent needs a gentle reminder of that very thing. Nothing above is meant to be hard or condemning. Quite the contrary! Everything above is intended to be encouraging and maybe shine some light on an area that might need a little more attention.

Just as my children sometimes act like their daddy, I want to act more like my Heavenly Father.

I hope you acted like your Father today!

A thankful little heart

For quite a while now, we've been asking each other--usually at bedtime now--what three things we are thankful for. Abby loves to do this, so she is usually the first person to ask either Ben or me, then she takes her turn, and then the other one takes a turn. She always asks us what Hayden is thankful for, and Ben usually comes up with three things that Hayden could be thankful for.

Well, last night, I decided to ask our 18-month-old what he was thankful for. It went something like this:

"Hayden, can you tell Mommy something you are thankful for?"
"Ummmm.... Chee-os!" (Cheerios, for those who aren't proficient in toddler.)
"Is there something else you are thankful for?"
"Ummmm.... keys!"
"Is there one more thing you are thankful for, buddy?"
"Ummmm.... binky!" And at that moment, he popped the beloved binky in his mouth. :)

Who said a toddler couldn't be thankful?

Did you enjoy your gift?

Who can honestly say that they dislike receiving gifts? I can't think of anyone who would would flat out refuse a gift. I think even Mr. Scrooge and the Grinch enjoyed gifts!

When someone gives you a gift, what does that mean to you? Maybe that person loves you. Maybe they consider you a good friend. Maybe it is a simple "thank you" for something you have done for them. Whatever the reason, people give gifts to bless another person.

My daughter, Abby, is your typical four-year-old girl. She loves gifts! She gets excited about gifts! She even gets excited about gifts that aren't hers (which can sometimes make keeping a gift a secret somewhat challenging). This morning at breakfast, we were having our daily Bible reading/devotional time when I gave Abby a new verse to memorize. How she loves to memorize things! The verse is Psalm 118:24, "This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." We talked about a "cutesy" song by Jason Upton that says, "Everything you see is a gift from God." Everything. We talked about how the trees and the birds and our dog and mommy, daddy, and brother are all gifts from God. But then I shared with her that every single day is a gift from God. We can enjoy it and be thankful for it--even if the weather is cold and rainy like it is here today.

This ties in so well with what we have begun doing as a family. At some point during the day when we are all together, we will each say three things that we are thankful for. We can't say the same three things two days in a row; each day must be different. We are purposely shifting our focus from ourselves to our Heavenly Father. We can always find three things to thank Him for, even on days that have been stressful for whatever reason. During her bedtime prayers, Abby has become increasingly thankful; even my own prayer times have been more of a time of gratitude than a list of needs.

On a more adult level, what have you done with the gift of today? When you woke up this morning, did you grumble and complain about all of the things on your to do list? Did you look at the Wall Street Journal and complain about how much money you've lost in the current "economic slump"? Did you leave the gift of today wrapped and sitting on the shelf, or even throw it in the garbage? Or did you excitedly rip the paper off of the package and tear open the box to see what was inside, knowing that it was going to be something great? Did you rejoice in today, giving thanks to God for creating this day just for you? He did, you know. He created today with you in mind.

How have you used the gift of today? Did you thank God for it and ask Him to make you a blessing to those around you? Enjoy this gift that He has given you! "Rejoice and be glad in it!"