THaNksGiviNG Thursday...Intentional Thanksgivings

Before a new curriculum was implemented, I had the pleasure of teaching the old testament to my seventh graders for eleven years.  We would spend a good portion of the year with Moses and the Israelites.  After some time reading about the adventures of the Israelites in the wilderness, my students would begin to pick up on the pattern of behavior of the people.  My students would exclaim (sometimes sarcastically) things like "Oh, no!" and "They're grumbling again?!"  I would always smile and ask them, "Sound like anybody you know?"  

It doesn't take much to cause us to complain. Slow traffic, stormy weather, delayed flight, burnt toast, long line at Starbucks are all minor nuisances that can cause us to swiftly and easily grumble to the point our whole day seems to be ruined.  Grumbling breeds negativity.

I'm Grumbler #1.  I've become more of one recently because things haven't been going my way and I think I'm entitled to gripe.  Unfortunate key phrases there are "MY way" and "entitled."  No wonder I've been grumbling.  

One way I've tried to help my students to keep from grumbling is by using two different colored beans and a couple of jars.  I've labeled one (smaller) jar "Grumbling" and the other (larger) jar "Thanksgiving."  The black beans represent every time someone grumbled.  The white bean represent every time someone gave thanks.  

I would encourage my students to feel free to put a white bean in for each thing they were genuinely thankful for.  There was no limit of how many beans they put in.  Likewise, they were told to put in a black bean every time they heard a complaint or they themselves complained.  The purpose was to make them more aware of when they grumbled, to be more intentional on giving thanks, and to be more motivated to give more thanks.  Interestingly, one hundred percent of the time, the class as a whole would want the thanksgiving jar to be full.  I even had to go out and buy more beans one year because of all the thanksgivings!

Every year I put out these jars, it is amazing to experience how quickly the atmosphere changes and how quickly students become aware of what is coming out of their mouths.  Likewise, how quickly things would change for me if I gave more thanks.  God's way, not "my way," graciously gives me a reason to always be thankful.  May we all intentionally praise God and give thanks so that He doesn't have cause to say, "Oh, no! They're grumbling again!"

"Praise the Lord!  

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!

His faithful love endures forever."

~Psalm 106:1

Lost Intentions

I began this blog with the intentions of living a more intentional life for the Lord in order to serve Him better and to inspire more to walk in faith.  A month has gone by, so I intend now on evaluating the past month.  I am ashamed to say that I have not been intentional each day like I aimed to be for several reasons.

One, busyness is a scheme-a "half-truth"-Satan uses to keep us from intentional living.  In busyness it was easy to think I was doing something for God because I was so busy doing some things.  But here's the truth: I was less intentional of serving the Lord because I was so busy!  Balance not busyness is needed in order to remain spiritually intact.

Two, God will test any intention of serving Him.  Why?  God desires us to "be strong in the Lord" (Ephesians 6:10) because there are battles going on-a Spiritual Warfare-and we have to be ready to fight.  Testing is not something we should fear; rather, we should praise God for caring enough to include us in the fight over our souls.  Testing grabs attention.  Testing strengthens the weak areas of faith.  Testing causes dependency on God alone.  God tested me this past month, and I admit to failing in the area of intentional living.  At times I used the circumstances of my test, but at other times, I allowed the circumstances to use and rule over me.  These were the times I had lost intentions.  I've learned from this to embrace testing and "to consider it pure joy" (James 1:2).

Three, I had not been intentionally living for the Lord each day because I did not make any effort to do so.  I became self-absorbed and selfish.  I struggle with this sin.  I consume myself with my self.  Notice that no where in God's Word, in any of His commands, does it say "Honor Thyself" because we naturally already do.  We honor thyselves when we are not honoring God.  I did not honor God as much as I should have.  Honoring God is putting my own needs behind His needs.

As I sit here and reflect on all my intentions and all my failures in following through, I still sit here assured of one thing:  not all intentions are lost.  God will receive and use whatever intentions I give and follow through on.  I may not intentionally live each day for Him, but I am intent on living a life for Him.  I will keep at it, and I will take my lessons from this past month and put forth my new knowledge and my best effort toward this next month.  God bless you all in your walks of faith.