Welcome to my “Month of Encouragement for Moms” sponsored by D6 and Proverbs 31 Ministries. If you found your way here from my P31 devotion, I’m so glad you stopped by. And if you’re one my regular blog readers, thanks for being here each day. Your comments encourage me when I don’t know what to write; your thoughts and thanks let me know it’s making a difference. I am loving this journey with you as we find practical ways to connect spiritual truths with everyday life experiences – for us and our families.
In last Wednesday’s post, I talked about God giving me hope as a mom by giving me a new perspective of parenting. He challenged me to stop focusing on my kids’ habits and invest in their hearts by looking for ways to notice and nurture their character. From that day forward I looked for ways to learn and live God’s truths in everyday life lessons. Today’s devotion came after that commitment. One day I was reading about Davids passion for treasuring God’s Word in His heart, and thinking about my kids passion for a treasure hunt. I decided to combine the two and encourage my boys to approach reading the Bible like looking for a treasure in a field, and find ways to share that treasure with others. One night around the dinner table, we talked about the character trait of KINDNESS. Here’s a little family devotion I wrote as a result:
Todays’ Treasure of Truth:1 Thessalonians 5:15, “Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.”
Kindness means being nice to others with your actions and your words.
The Map of God’s Word:Read John 1:43-49. While Jesus was walking down the road with his disciples, Philip saw his friend Nathanael. He was so excited to tell Nathanael that they had met Jesus. Nathanael’s first response was sarcastic and unkind. As soon as he heard where Jesus was from, Nathanael said, “Nazareth! Can anything good come from Nazareth?”
Instead of returning Nathanael’s comment with an insult, Jesus responded with kindness. When He saw Nathanael coming toward him he told the others that Nathanael was a person of character, true on the inside and out. Nathanael was surprised by Jesus’ kindness. He wondered how Jesus knew about him. When Nathanael saw the kindness in Jesus’ heart that formed the words on His lips, his sarcasm turned into faith. He returned Jesus’ thoughtfulness with kind words of his own.
A Nugget of Wisdom:Kindness is easy when others are being nice to us, but Jesus wants us to be kind no matter what.
Making Character Count:Developing God’s character isn’t just about doing good things; it’s about being Christ-like in our attitudes and actions. Talk as a family about the importance of having a heart like Jesus, remembering that before we can offer others what God has given us, we need to take time to acknowledge and thank him for His kindness towards me and
Prayer: Jesus, thank you that your love is patient and kind. Please help us to be kind to each other and those outside of our family. Help us to think of ways we can show kindness each day. And please remind us of how kind you were with your words and actions to those who were not kind to you. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Ways to live and give the treasure ofKindness:
- Say thanks when someone does something kind or gives something to you.
- Say please when asking for something.
- Offer to help a friend or sibling with homework.
- Tell someone else what you like about them.
- Let someone in line before you.
- Be friendly by saying hello and smiling at people.
- Give a thoughtful gift to someone for no reason.
Copyright 2009, Renee Swope – All rights reserved.
Today’s Mom Give-Aways
Today we are choosing winners from the comments and giving away two D6 mom resources – a copy of my “Mining for Gold in the Heart of Your Child Chart and George Barna’s “Revolutionary Parenting”. Please include your email so we can reach you if you win.
We’ll be giving away gifts every weekday, so be sure to come back for more mom encouragement and resources from D6 and Proverbs 31 Ministries!
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Thank you for your encouraging post Renee. I am rejoicing today because I had an opportunity to share unexpected kindness and words of hope with a stranger in need yesterday – and it just so happened that both daughters were with me and so were the recipients of wonderful life lesson. It was even more wonderful when I was able to share with them after we were in the car and on our way home that I had just prayed that morning that the Lord would allow me to be his “hands and feet” somehow today. Gotta love it when prayers are answered so immediately! I am loving your posts this month…keep them coming!!
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Renee, thank you so much for your encouragement and wisdom. I do so want my children to treasure God’s Word and hunger for it, but just telling them isn’t making it happen. Thank you for sharing the treasures God has showed you.
I have been struggling with my ten year old and trying to motivate him to be the best he can be–as a Christian, student, etc. I receive p31 devotions daily, but our laptop crashed last week, so this was the first time I had time to catch up on my emails. Your devotion today speaks to me so loudly. I rarely go to “blogs” as I just don’t have the luxury of time, but today I found yours and look forward to your pearls of wisdom and your scripture baseed insight. Thank you God for sending me here today
Thank you for the focus of kindness, this is something that is such a struggle in our house as my 6 year old son is “acting out” his frustration with circumstances that he is not haooy with on a daily basis. I am always looking for ways to help him tap into the kind boy that he is on the inside and your devotional really helped when I feel competlety depleted of more ideas of how to make the things I’m telling him, real to him so that he can understand. Thanks so much.
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I so want to read through your whole chart! I think I need to do this whole thing just for me – I’m having particular trouble with the ‘kindness always no matter what’ thing this week. Thanks for the very timely reminder!
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Renee,
Your words always penetrate my heart and encourage me to go deeper with my walk with the Lord and even more important to teach my daughters about who God really is…….not just the words in the Bible but a living God who is more amazing that we can imagine.
Thank you again Renee,
You are a WONDERFUL woman of God…. and I am thankful for Proverbs31.
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I try every day not living in the mommy guilt. I work during the day…sometimes long hours, and try not to blame myself for this! The way I get encouraged NOT to do this is to come to your blog everyday!
Today’s devotion is so touching. Reaffirms things I try to teach and instill in my 5 year old daughter.
Living life sometimes comes down to be nice and loving one another…thanks for the affirmation!
Samina
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Thank your for your help teaching our kids about God and the treasure of His word.
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I’ve just discovered your blog today, and what a wonderful inspiration it is!
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I came upon your blog from the Proverbs 31 website, and I am so glad to have read your devotional this morning! I have an almost 2 year old whom I truly want to have God’s Beautiful treasures in his heart. That is my heart’s cry, that he would desire this more than anything this world would try to offer him. This devotional was such an encouragement to my heart. Thank you so much for your ministry.
Your messages are always awesome!!!
Thanks,
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Lynchburg, Virginia
It seems sometimes that I am more kind to a stranger that my own family. Becoming impatient with my children’s antics or accidents, frustrated at another family member for some reason or another… I often read the devotionals on the Proverbs 31 website and thank God for the godly women who write them. Hearing another moms’ prespective sure helps in remembering to go to God early in the morning and praying that he would help us to be kind and helpful too everyone–especially our family!
I just found your blog and I have been SO encouraged as I have explored past posts. I have been needing a ‘pick-me’up’ and Go dhas used your ministry to help me see me TRUE role as a Christian Mom- I am not just a SAHM- I am in Full Time Childern’s Ministry! 🙂
Thank you so much for these words on kindness. You are such an encouragement and I appreciate the time you take to minister to all of us. Just think if we all used these principles on kindness, what a difference we could make.
Thank you so much for the truths that you share with us. You give practical, simple, yet impacting examples of how to apply His truth & let Him love others through us. A friend passed on your "Finding God's Treasures" post from this morning, and I was really impacted by " I want my kids to see the Bible, not as a book of rules to follow, but like a map that leads us on God's great adventure." What a GREAT focus! Thank you! Nancy Kenaston [email protected]
Wow! God’s timing was perfect this morning as I read your devotion. We are having an unusual amount of snow here in Newport, Ky, and just as I finished reading, my 8 year old son was next to me looking out our window. He said, “Mommy, look! My footprints from yesterday are covered up by the new snow today”! Instantly God gave me a beautiful example to share right then and there with Him about His perfect love for us and Jesus’ perfect sacrifice on our behalf. I explained to him that those old footprints in the snow can be seen like the sin in our lives, the lives that were intended to be perfect. And since we could do nothing ourselves to erase or cover up those “footprints”, God, in His amazing love for us, covered our “footprints” Himself, with Jesus, just like He covered all those footprints from yesterday with a new, beautiful blanket of snow. His eyes lit up as he really understood, and we gave thanks together for what Jesus did for us.
So please, sweet Renee, keep writing! God is using you more than you know!
Thanks so much!
Sarah
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Hi, it’s my first time reading your blog but not the first time reading Proverbs 31-Girlfriends in God. I love it! It gives me hope in times when I just can’t take another step. I am thinking of using this message of kindness to my intermediate students in their next meeting at church. Thank you very much and may God continue blessing you!!
lots of hugs
I forgot to leave my email address.
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I just started reading your blog and am excited about your emphasis on family and kids. Our family is planning on homeschooling because we feel our children need more time with us…our family needs to be united.
Love the devotional you wrote on kindness. I want to share it with my family. I also want to keep your attitude of always looking for a way to make adventures, activities or anything in life relate to the Bible. I’m going to pray that the Lord will help me to do that. Thank you for your e-devotional! 🙂