Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Count Your Blessings...

What if your Facebook feed was full of pictures of laundry, messy homes, pictures of kids misbehaving, or the dinners you burned.  Would it still peak your interest?  You initial reaction to that was probably to say no, but think about it for a second.  We all have those days, right?  As I'm typing this, it's almost noon and I haven't gotten dressed, or brushed my teeth and my kids are still running around in their pajamas munching on Lunchables.  No one puts that stuff on Facebook.  I've been known to ruin a perfectly happy moment because I'm trying to get "that" perfect picture to post on Facebook.  My husband says Facebook is the devil.  He's kidding...or is he?



My Ladies Bible Study is one of the highlights of my week.  It's refreshing to be around ladies of all ages and listen to some of their insight on life.  A few weeks ago the ladies at my table started discussing perfection and how looking on Facebook can easily lead us to comparing ourselves to others.  When we compare ourselves to others, we start to feel down on ourselves.  Galatians 6: 4-5 says, "Let everyone be sure that he is doing his very best, for then he will have the personal satisfaction of work well done and won’t need to compare himself with someone else. Each of us must bear some faults and burdens of his own. For none of us is perfect!" (Living Bible Translation)


I want my house to be clean, my laundry folded and put away, and my kids clean, happy and polite.  Does that always happen?  Absolutely not, but it is something I strive for.  In the end, my kids probably won't remember those things, but instead remember the day we had a silly string fight in the middle of the kitchen or the bath time splashes that would make Shamu jealous (Why does that make me so mad?  It's just water).  That's actually the stuff I want them to remember anyway.  I'm not saying we need to stop posting all the cute things on Facebook, but I am saying we should strive to compare ourselves to Christ more, and others less.  When we compare ourselves to others, it leads to envy and jealousy.  We need to be thankful and count our blessings.  1 Thesselonians 5:18 says, "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you."



With the help of a few of my friends, I am encouraging you to be thankful today in all situations.  Even the messy ones.

Be thankful, even when the washable paint, isn't washable. 


Be thankful, when everything in your doggone house is chaos.


 Be thankful even when someone borrow's your make-up without asking.  


Be thankful when 2 out of 3 of your children participate in family photos.  


Be thankful for the people that add a little color to your life.  


Be thankful for the messy moments in your life.  (That's red snow-cone syrup, not a crime scene)


Be thankful that Vizio manuals are available online, too.  


Be thankful on bad hair days. 


Be thankful for all the little smiles in your day.  


Be thankful for the extra surprises you find in your coffee.  


Be thankful for the adventures each day brings.


Be thankful for the doors God opens for you.  


 Be thankful for experiments.  


Be thankful for art projects.  


 Be thankful for the opportunity to use your organizational skills.  


 Be thankful, even when it feels like your life is going down the drain! 


Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.  His love endures forever!  Psalm 136:1

Today, I am thankful for ladies that keep it real!  I am thankful for my friends Carrie, Christy, and Kristen that were ok with me saying, "Hey, send me some pictures of your crazy kids!" It didn't even offend them.  I am thankful for their humbleness and ability to keep it real.

Have a great day, and don't forget to count your blessings!

Emily 



5 comments:

  1. I absolutely love this. I am SO thankful and love seeing other people's babies ripping up every piece of paper in sight just like mine haha!

    PS Made your salmon last night. My husband LOVED it =)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Jacquelyn! I'm glad the salmon was a hit! I can't wait to hear how "restaurant week" went!

      Delete
  2. Love this!!! I am reminded that I really need to just stop and be thankful for all the craziness around us because one day my little ones will be gone and I will miss the craziness.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hear ya!! We have so much to be thankful for, even when it's not picture perfect.

      Delete
  3. This post touches my heart. Amen ten fold!!!!!

    ReplyDelete

Blogger template designed By The Sunday Studio.