Be More Creative
'Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the LORD, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who by myself spread out the earth...'
Isaiah 44:24
"God is often described in the Bible in the act of creation. Over and over again God is portrayed as stretching out the sky like a tent or patiently weaving humanity into live. God is a God of creativity, and humanity is made in his image. As we seek to be as God-like as we can, we need to try and copy God's love of bringing things to life, so...be more creative."
Monday's Action: Make something today, like a cake, a picture, a model, a poem, or a story.
This day was also President's Day, so the kids and I had a day off from school making it very easy to spend some time creating! We started out by heading to the grocery store where, along with our weekly groceries, we bought a brownie mix so that we could "create" some brownies for Daddy. (That's how I cook: boxes, cans, and the freezer isle...though I am learning how to branch out a little more these days!) We didn't stop creating there though. That afternoon we sat down with coloring books and crayons and created a picture to send to Grandma! It was a fun day full of creativity!
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Care for the World
'Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground unperceived by your Father.'
Matthew 10:29
"God didn't just create the world and then walk off and leave it to itself. He continues to love and care for it. If God cares for the world so much that he notices when one sparrow dies, just imagine what it must feel like to see us spoiling the planet by using so much more than we need, and leaving litter behind, so...care for the world."
Tuesday's Activity: Turn off the lights in rooms that no one is using
This was an easy one because we always stress turning off lights to the kids! I mean Gavin is constantly asking me to lift him up to turn off lights...and then turn them back on...and then turn them back off... Okay, so it might just be a fun game for him. But, for Logan...okay, it's probably just a fun game for him to flip the switch, too. Either way, the point is, as a family we all try to be very conscientious about turning of things like lights and the TV when they're not in use. I guess it's just our little contribution to the God's world!
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Be More Loving
'But Ruth said, "Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God.'"
Ruth 1:16
"One of the most moving expressions of love in the whole Bible is this one from Ruth. When Naomi, her mother-in-law, tried to get her to think of herself and leave, Ruth responded with this wonderful pledge of love, loyalty and faithfulness. We do not know whether Naomi already knew that Ruth loved her, but after it she could be in no doubt. It is much better to make sure that people know we love them because we have told them, than to assume that they know, so...be more loving."
Wednesday's Activity: Tell someone you love them
Another easy one! And how much fun to go out and make a point of saying "I love you" to all the important people in our lives! Plus, nothing is cuter, or heart-melting, than hearing Gavin and Logan say "I love you."
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Be More Curious
When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the starts that you have established; what are human beings that you are midful of them...?
Psalm 8:3-4
"In Psalm 8, the Psalmist looks at the world around and is moved to wonder about the place of human beings in such a complex and intricate universe. Wondering and curiosity are an essential part of human existence and have given rise to some of the most important discoveries, but so often our lives grind on with little time for us to wonder about anything, so...be more curious."
Thursday's Activity: Give yourself time to wonder about something and see where your curiosity leades you
Since it was a snow day and there was no school, we should have had plenty of time to do this one, but...I kinda spaced it. At least as far as doing it as a family. I, personally, have been tackling this particular activity...I'm working on a post about that specifically right now!
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Be More Grateful
'Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him.'
Luke 17:15-16
"It is easy to forget to be grateful. In the story in Luke 17, ten lepers were healed but only one of them remembered to come back and say thank you. No doubt the other nine were too busy enjoying their leprosy-free lives to remember. However, it is important to be people who are mindful of the good things. One step towards this is to remember to say thank you more often, so...be more grateful."
Friday's Activity: Say thank you to someone for who they are or what they do
Thank you's are a staple in our house. I think "thank you" was probably one of the first two word sentences each of my boys learned. It is hard to remember to say thank you sometimes...we just get so busy, so wrapped up in our thing. This was a great opportunity to remind my boys - and myself - why saying thank you, why being grateful, is so very important!
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Notice the World Around You
'For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.'
Psalm 92:4
"The world that God has made is a wonderful plance: full of wonder. However, we often rush through our lives so fast that we simply do not have the time to notice quite how wonderful it is, in our busyness we miss the many different shades of green, the fowers pushing themselves through damp earth, the birds breaking into song. The world that God created really is a wonderful pace, so...notice the world around you."
Saturday's Activity: Walk somewhere today and notice the things around you - birds singing, sun shining or rain splashing!
The winter storm from the previous two days had passed and the sun was shining! The boys and I decided to ditch the house and head to Springfield. All along the drive Logan kept pointint out all the trees and fields covered with the ice and snow that had fallen during the storm. When we got to the mall, there was one entrance that was shaded and still covered in a layer of ice and snow. Logan was enjoying slip, sliding across it, so of course Gavin wanted in on the action, too. My first reaction was to hold tight to him, to tell Logan to stop sliding around on purpose, but then I stopped and thought about how ice and snow were meant to be enjoyed too! So, I set Gavin down and together, all three of us, slid our way into the building. From there I held one little hand in each of mine as we wandered through the mall enjoying all the sights, sounds, and smells. God's world is truly a beautiful place!
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All quotes came from our Live Life Love Lent book published by www.livelent.net.
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