Be Grateful!

Anyone that has older kids know that things can get really hectic with their schedules! Between my son having basketball practices and his games, and my daughter cheerleading, choir and safety patrol duties, that is enough to give every family member a head ache trying to keep up with it all. To add to that my children have friends!!! That means birthday parties and visiting and a bunch of Momma can I’s trying to go wherever. Last weekend my kids were gone all weekend for the most part. If they weren’t spending time with friends they were with cousins somewhere but they weren’t home. This weekend I decided that I wouldn’t run myself silly and my kids would have to just be satisfied with those in the house for their entertainment pleasures. My sweet baby started to ask me Friday if she could venture out for the weekend. I gave her my answer with more detail than she truly deserved but nonetheless details. I ended up following those details with a stern talking to after she decided to pout because she didn’t like that I wasn’t letting her go anywhere this weekend. I was really annoyed with her for being so ungrateful after we had ran her all over town all week, and I said yes all last weekend then this one time I say no she has an attitude and has the nerve to be moping around here like she never gets to do anything. As soon as I got through fussing and grunting at her this message came to my mind….How often do I whine and complain about one thing that didn’t go my way after God has blessed me with so many other things that did!!! WHOA!!! I looked at our little sunshine as she walked off thinking who knows what about me and wondered is that how I look when I’m moaning and groaning about something I thought God should do in my life and His will and mine were not on one accord. How ugly is that?  I immediately felt bad and the desire to start to work on this fault I had. I understood better that rejoicing in my “no” moments is just as important as rejoicing in my “yes” moments. How often do we focus on the things we don’t have not acknowledging the abundance of blessings we do get? I may be the only one that has a ungrateful spirit from time to time but on the off chance that I’m not I want to invite you to join me on the “I AM GRATEFUL” challenge. I am grateful that God knows better than I do because the reality is I have no clue what is best for me. So this means if He has said no there is a good reason behind it, even if its something as simple as testing my response to getting a no…will I walk away and pout and whoas me or will I say ok God You know what’s best for me You must have something better in store later. This is an important lesson of faith we have to learn from day to day. I’m so glad God pointed this fault out to me so that I can better strive for perfection.

Ephesians 4:29 - Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (NIV)