The greatest gift we can give our children is a) a sense of wonder combined with b) gratefulness at this awesome world God has created for us, and c)the awesome group of people he placed around us. If parents can do that, their children are set up to obey the two greatest commandments, to love God with all their heart and their neighbors as themselves (Matt. 22:36-40). Of course, most lessons are caught more than taught. Living a life of wonder and gratefulness is a gift to yourself and others. Our girls posted this series of photos in our group chat. While I do not remember the actual event, I remember our family culture. We didn’t have much money, and we never felt poor. Not once. I cannot remember one time. We got some boards from the lumberyard and placed them over bricks. That served as cupboards for seven years. I bought Deanna two wooden chairs for our kitchen table for her birthday. The girls sat on a homemade bench. For years. And we never felt poor. Life was rich and filled with wonder. In the first photo, Olivia got a new flavor of toothpaste. We all knew she would share it, but how cool! A new flavor to enjoy for many days.    How To Achieve More Enjoyment in Life 1. Start with the simplest thing you take for granted. Your breath. Each breath is a gift from God. With the gift stops, your avatar, your body, will quit working. But for now, it’s working. Take time to appreciate it, and to appreciate God for each breath. You can do this several times a day, like whenever you get tempted to be stressed or overwhelmed. God is right there, still giving you the gift of breath. Have you ever given someone a gift and over time they become ungrateful, demanding more and more like it is their right when you meant for it to be a gift? You might even try harder than ever until you are at your wit’s end because nothing seems to delight them anymore. *** Don’t be that person for God. *** Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being (Gen. 2:7). 2. When you are quiet for a while, enjoying your breath and thanking God for it, ask God to increase your sense of wonder and gratefulness. Some people think that foodies have a gift, and they only enjoy the very best cuts of meat and the best cooking. I disagree. I think I’m a foodie because I love almost everything. It’s a gift. 3. Ask God to bless others through you. God wants to manage this earth through people. God wants to bless people through you! He wants you to bless your people for Him. Pray to learn how His system works. a). Write out a list of all your people. This takes a while. Maybe several days. You might start with family, and then friends, neighbors, church people, school people, work people, enemies, government people in all the countries you can think of, etc., etc. Then seek to bless those people as you get opportunities. b). God created all people in His image. Find the image of God in your people. Talk good about them. If you can’t think of anything, ask God. God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them (Gen. 1:27). What if all Christians lived lives full of wonder and gratefulness? We would be happier, for one thing, and so our their people. Your thoughts? |
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