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One-on-One Time with Our Kids
Tag: beautifulheartedparenting
Giving it to Jesus
Some of you might have heard the phrase, “Give It to Jesus.” You’re venting or expressing your heart, and then you hear, “Give it to Jesus.” As though you haven’t done that because you’re still struggling.
I think that phrase can mean a number of things.
Yes, you might experience immediate freedom from something when you “give” it to the Lord, sharing it with him with open hands. Or, the freedom might come only for a moment once you “give” it to Him, or pray about it, only to find yourself struggling once again with that thing, that heartache, that pain.
That doesn’t necessarily mean you haven’t “given it to the Lord.” It could just mean that you’re human and feel and have emotions, and that some things just take time.
If the Lord thought we didn’t need to come to him daily about things, I think he might have said, “Give us this year our yearly bread.” But, that’s not what he says at all. Jesus says, “Gives us THIS DAY our DAILY bread.”
We are meant to come again and again to Jesus.
So, then, what does it mean to give it to Jesus? I think it means that when that heartache, that pain, that struggle rises in our minds and hearts, we ask the Lord to walk with us, to help us, to free us, to restore us, to strengthen us, again, and again and again. And, that, is where the healing comes.
And, that, is giving it to the Lord.
Yes, the Lord can work a miracle by setting you free in an instant, but he can also work a miracle by setting you free a moment at a time as you walk step by step with the Lord, and that is beautiful.
And, that, is giving it to the Lord. Even if some pain and struggle remain.
That is just what he wants of us – to simply keep coming to Him.
Jesus, set us free. Thank you that you have set us free to live in eternity with you when we ask you to be our Savior. Lord, set us free here and now too. Moment by moment, we give our pains and struggles and heartaches to you. Lord, release us. Help us experience the freedom you have come to give us. In Jesus’ Name, amen.
“It is for freedom that I have set you free.” Jesus
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The Day After Christmas…
The day after Christmas can be such a let down for kids after so much anticipation. I love the meaning of the historic “Twelve Days of Christmas” and how Christmas was considered Day 1 of Celebration. And, then, after the twelve days, a period of Epiphany started, a time to continue celebrating Jesus… So, let’s continue celebrating and reflecting upon the joy of Jesus coming into the world!
Wishing you a Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to you & yours!!!
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What I Want of My Kids
Isn’t it beautiful when we get to see the love of Jesus through our kids? This picture captures one of those moments.
My tears are rolling as I look at it. Do you know what my son did? He’s not perfect by any means, but his heart, oh his heart – it’s so beautiful.
My mom lost her husband of almost 50 years of marriage – my dad, who I love dearly – on October 21st. As she was leaving the “Celebration of Life” we did for him (just what he would’ve wanted), my ten-year-old son, walked up to GG, took her purse from her and carried it, put his arm around her, and walked with her, holding her close.
I snapped this picture as soon as I could get my phone out. He took my breath away. I wanted to hold onto that moment forever. We can learn so much from our kids. So much about how to love well.
That, is what I want of my kids.
To choose love first. Above everything.
To care deeply for those around them. To consider their heart, their feelings, their situation.
To ask for forgiveness when they’ve fallen short.
To give grace when someone’s wronged them.
To find “small” moments to show great love.
To be a kid who shines the light of Jesus so bright by the way they treat others.
Not necessarily in big, dramatic ways, but in small gestures, like when my son carried GG’s purse, put his arm around her, and told her he was there for her.
That, is what I want of my kids.
Lord, would you help our kids, and us, to love first? To lead with love and compassion, to put our arms around our loved ones who need it, to walk alongside them, to carry what they need us to carry, and to love them in the same beautiful way you love us? Thank you, Lord. In Jesus’ Name, amen. “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2
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I shared a quote recently by Sissy Goff: “Praise your kids more for their effort than their outcome.” So, today, I saw this mini cake. And, I decided to get it to celebrate Bates, Brooklyn, and Gracie’s (B, B & G’s) great effort in so many things lately.
It would be easy to get caught up in focusing on the sibling arguments, the unkind words said here or there, the messy room, or a number of other things. There’s definitely a time for consequences, but there’s also a time to notice what our kids are doing well.
So, today, I’m going to celebrate how hard they worked on the musical they were in at church, how they have included new kids at their school who didn’t know anyone, and how they have spent hours of working hard at tennis, football, and dance.
Life is too short to not take notice of what our kids are doing well. Find a way to recognize your kids’ efforts today and celebrate that! What’s a simple way you have celebrated your kids?
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A Spirit of Thanks is Contagious
My husband wrote a sweet surprise note thanking me for all I did today and placed it on my night stand. Because he did that, it made me think to write a note to him and each of my kids to thank them for something.
And because my son saw the note, it made him want to write notes to his sisters about why he’s thankful for them.
Then my daughter did the same. A spirit of thanks is contagious.
As Thanksgiving approaches, who in your home can you write a surprise note of thanks too? Take a quick second and do that now- you might make their week.
Along with writing the notes this week, share this story from Luke 17 with your kids to show how giving thanks is close to the heart of Jesus:
On Jesus’ way to Jerusalem, there were ten really sick men who no one would come close to. They stood at a distance and loudly asked Jesus to heal them. Jesus walked right up to them and healed every one of them.
When ONE of the men saw he was healed, he praised God loudly, threw himself at Jesus’ feet, and thanked him. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten healed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner? Then he said to the man, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Let’s be the one who also “comes back” to give thanks to the Lord and to give thanks for one another. Happy early Thanksgiving!
“I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:3-6
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The book, “The Hiding Place”, written by Corrie ten Boom, a famous evangelist during the Holocaust, is one of my favorites.
I’m in awe of Corrie and her family’s bravery in hiding and saving so many Jews. I think of the angst they must have felt as bombs exploded overhead and soldiers marched the streets.
I’m amazed at how Corrie and her sister, Betsie, still gave thanks and shared the love of Jesus in the barracks of the concentration camp, despite their circumstances.
I shared the story to my kids of Paul praising God in prison. I am in awe of his strength while in chains.
I am inspired by those who draw on the Lord for their strength and hope as their child, parent, or they themselves, fight cancer or another sickness.
I think of those of us who have lost loved ones in this season, and how difficult it is, yet how we can still find hope in Jesus through it all.
I also think about how in the midst of all the changes here and now, what doesn’t change, and will never change, is the Lord.
How He is bigger than anything we will face, how he offers hope right now, today, in this moment – and how the Lord loves us so very much.
I think of the upcoming holidays and how they will look so different. And, I wonder, how can we bring glory to God in the midst of heartache and difficult circumstances?
And, my mind moves to God’s Word to, “Give thanks in all circumstances.”
Everything doesn’t always turn out how we think it will, but one moment at a time, we can choose to give thanks, so we can experience God’s kingdom here, bring God glory, and remember that our greatest hope is not in the here and now, but in the Lord.
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18
I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving full of giving thanks.
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You can find my new Mother-Daughter Devotional here:
Linsey Driskill 