No, I don't mean to put on a uniform and cheer for your favorite football team (although that's great and aren't those gals in the picture adorable?), I'm talking about cheering on your family. It is SO easy for our families to get discouraged. There is gloomy negativity everywhere we go. Let's turn our homes into places of restoration. I also think we need to encourage ourselves. It's hard to be in a positive frame of mind if we're down in the dumps.
How about if this week we pay special attention to being encouraging? Wouldn't it be more fun if we could all do it together and share our successes? Here are some ways that I plan to cheer on my family.
1. Ask for God's help to focus on the positive.
2.. "Catch" them being good and praise them for it. "It's so thoughtful of you to offer to play a game with your sister!" or "Thanks honey for researching all the different dishwashers so we would know which one would be the best buy!"
3. Be aware of what I'm saying and try to make sure that my positive comments far out way any negative comments (including the comments to myself in my head).
4. Find a small, practical,
fun way to bless them such as renting a favorite movie, taking them for ice cream, surprising them with an outing, etc. Do a little something nice for myself too. Maybe I'll light a scented candle in the bathroom and have a long, relaxing soak in the tub at the end of a busy day.
5. Say something nice about each member of my family to other people.
6. Respond to complaints and problems in a positive manner and with hope.
7. Avoid any passive aggressive behavior. No heavy sighs and martyrs faces while I say something like "Don't worry, I'll take out the trash myself. I do everything around here anyway."
I didn't plan on listing seven things, but I guess that gives us one thing to focus on for each day of the next week. What a happy coincidence! :)
"Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints."
Philemon 1:7 (NIV)