In such a fast-paced world, it’s more and more difficult to slow down and make time for your kids. Everything else is calling for your attention–your boss, your finances, and even your social media feeds.
So how can you make your kids a priority? By making sure to be present with them emotionally and physically! Here are some ideas to get started…
How to Be Present Emotionally:
- Write a letter to your kids with words of encouragement
- Tell your kids how much you love them every chance you get
- Ask your kids about what’s going on in their lives
How to Be Present Physically:
- Go watch and cheer on your kid at their soccer game or dance recital
- Hug your kids each night as you put them to bed
- Make it a priority to eat dinner together after a long day at work
What are some other ways you can be present emotionally and physically with your family? Share your ideas in a comment below!
Posted on: October 31, 2023
We’ve all made mistakes in our past.
We’ve all said things we regret and done things we wish we could take back and hurt people we never meant to. And it’s easy to think these things can disqualify us from making a better future. We assume that our past is too powerful for a fresh beginning.
Isaiah 43:18-19 says, “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” It’s clear that God doesn’t disqualify us based on our past. In fact, he shares that “as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). Our God is bigger than our past and wanting to use us for a more glorious future!
So keep your eyes open for opportunities for God to use you for good this week and every week.
Posted on: October 26, 2023
Do you ever wonder what God thinks of you? Do you ever wonder what He sees when He looks down from Heaven and into your life?
It’s easy for us to assume that God is often disappointed and angry and discouraged when he sees what we’re doing behind closed doors. And while God may grieve some of your actions, there’s NOTHING you can do to change God’s love for you. There’s nothing you can do that will make God love you more or less. So today, let’s look at a couple of bible verses that explain who we truly are in Christ…
- God sees you as a new creation! “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
- God sees you as victorious! “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” Romans 8:37
- God sees you as royalty! “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9
- God sees you as a co-heir with Christ! “Now if we are children, then we are heirs- heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ. If indeed we share in His sufferings in order that we may also share with His glory.” Romans 8:17
- God sees you as wonderful! “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” Psalm 139:14
So keep your chin up and remember who you are in Christ this week and every week!
Posted on: October 24, 2023
How would your life look differently if you were to follow your dreams?
We all have dreams. We all have goals and desires and plans for our life. But rarely do we have the courage to pursue them. Instead we make up excuses: blaming time or resources or circumstances for our lack of action.
But for many of us, I think the truth is that we’re scared. Scared of failing or embarrassing ourselves or any number of negative consequences. And so we’re like a deer caught in the headlights: we stop in our tracks, blinded by our fears and too afraid to pursue our dreams.
Romans 8:31 says, “What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” When we trust in God, we can be bold and confident and sure of ourselves. And so we are no longer stuck living in fear, but can boldly step into the life of courage that God is calling us!
What dreams are you ready to start pursuing? We’d love for you to share in a comment below.
Posted on: October 19, 2023
We all want to have a strong marriage.
We all want to find joy and fulfillment and passion and friendship and love in our marriages. But more often than not, we’re left feeling discouraged and exhausted and empty. We begin with high hopes on our wedding day, only to find that things aren’t as easy and wonderful as we’d hoped.
So how can we transform our current marriage into an uncommon marriage? Coach Dungy has two practical ideas for you and your spouse:
- Stay Focused on Your Marriage. First, it’s crucial that you prioritize your marriage. When you spend all your energy on your career and your kids and your hobbies, you come home exhausted at the end of the day. This leaves no energy for you to love your spouse well and invest in your marriage. So be sure to begin to intentionally save time and energy and love and heart for your spouse!
- Let God Lead Your Marriage. And above all, be sure to let God lead you and your spouse in your marriage! When you are deciding how to discipline your children, look to Christ. When you are deciding how to spend your money, look to Christ. When you are deciding where to live or work or worship, look to Christ. Trust God to lead you in every aspect of your marriage!
What are some other bits of marriage advice you’ve heard over the years? We’d love for you to share in a comment below!
Posted on: October 17, 2023
Everyone wants success. But few are willing to work through the failures along the way.
When we face failures in life, our first instinct is to give up. We feel defeated and lost and distraught, unsure of whether to continue pursuing our dreams. We allow our failures to paralyze us in fear and keep us from reaching ultimate success.
2 Corinthians 4:16-18 says “So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
In this life, we will chase after success in our careers and our marriages and our families. But no earthly success will bring us everlasting joy. Instead, all these successes (and failures!) are simply preparing us for the glory of Heaven, pointing us to God more and more.
So no matter what you face this week, trust that God is using your weaknesses AND your successes to prepare you for an eternity with Him.
Posted on: October 12, 2023
There are tons of voices vying for your attention. Some are trustworthy voices: your spouse, your pastor, your close friends, or your coworkers.
But then there are the voices of this world. And these are the voices we must watch out for.
There are the voices on social media, asking why your life isn’t as fun and exciting as everyone else’s. There are the voices on television, telling you that you should act this way or that way. And there are even the voices in your own head, suggesting that you should fear change, that you should try harder, and that you’ll never be good enough.
But there’s one voice that trumps all other voices–good and bad. And that is the voice of the Lord. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.”
So don’t get swept up in the noise of this world. Instead, keep your eyes on Christ this week and seek after HIS voice!
Posted on: October 10, 2023
Whether you’ve been married for months or years or decades, there’s one thing that all married couples have in common: they don’t have it all figured out. In other words, even the most seasoned of couples are still learning each and every day.
Nothing can prepare you for marriage. No book or conversation or podcast can fully convey the depth of a shared covenant between two people. So when you take your vows on your wedding day, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Questions crop up and answers are no where to be found. How should you handle your money? How should you raise your kids? How should you decide what church to attend and where to live and where to work? The list of questions goes on and on and on.
But God comforts us with Isaiah 40:28-31 which says, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”
In other words, you don’t have to have it all figured out. You simply have to trust that God will lead you and your spouse through all the questions that come along with marriage. So take your spouse’s hand this week and walk forward, asking God to guide your steps and help you trust Him more.
Posted on: October 03, 2023
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