Gee life is tough! Does anybody else besides me think that life can sometimes just be too tough to handle – especially by yourself?
I am lucky. In my job I have lots of love people to help me feel better about myself. They encourage me to keep going and they point me towards the light at the end of the tunnel. When I talk about some of the tough stuff in my life to a certain group of people, I always walk away feeling like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders and that everything is going to be OK.
I would like to encourage you this week to keep your eye on the people in your life. Just being prepared to listen is such an amazing thing one person can do for another. Being able to share the load with someone else always seems to halve the burden.
It is as simple as saying “Hello, how are you? I noticed you looked a little down today and not your cheery self! Is everything alright or are you just a million miles away thinking about things?”
However, it is not about finding out what is wrong with them or hearing someone’s life story, it is just about letting them know that you noticed them and you care.
Do to others as you would have them do to you. I like to know people care about me – don’t you? I am here to listen.
Tuesday, 25 November 2008
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
Alcohol
Well…we have come to that time of the year again where we are busy, busy, busy! I don’t know about you but I have quite a few gatherings and parties to go to over the next few weeks leading up to Christmas.
Usually by this time of the year people are starting to wind down after working so hard and often we find ourselves having a few of the liquid refreshments to relieve some stress.
First, let me make it quite clear that the bible does not say “Do not drink alcohol” but it does make it pretty clear that at no point in time should we drink so much that we are no longer of sober mind. Once our heads starts to get a little fuzzy after the first wine/beer (or two), it’s probably a good indication that we are starting to mentally feel the effects of the alcohol.
But drinking too much is not what this is about, even though drinking I believe to be a major cause of all domestic arguments which I am sure most people are not keen to be involved in over the holiday period. This is about the image we portray to our kids by our bouts of drinking.
Like that ad on TV, where the dad tells little Johny to go and get him another beer and then we see little Johny as a grown man saying the same thing to his son. Basically, monkey see, monkey do.
If you really do not want your children to be caught up in the drinking culture you can take some preventative steps now by setting a good example. Either avoid it all together, or make a point of only having one or two, then discuss these views and results of the night with them. Sometimes, Uncle Bob being plastered and stupid can be a great discussion with primary age children about the negative effects of consuming too much alcohol.
The best advice I personally have to give is that you have to live with the consequences of what your kids see you do now. And believe me, watching your child make mistakes that could harm them is not a rewarding experience.
Usually by this time of the year people are starting to wind down after working so hard and often we find ourselves having a few of the liquid refreshments to relieve some stress.
First, let me make it quite clear that the bible does not say “Do not drink alcohol” but it does make it pretty clear that at no point in time should we drink so much that we are no longer of sober mind. Once our heads starts to get a little fuzzy after the first wine/beer (or two), it’s probably a good indication that we are starting to mentally feel the effects of the alcohol.
But drinking too much is not what this is about, even though drinking I believe to be a major cause of all domestic arguments which I am sure most people are not keen to be involved in over the holiday period. This is about the image we portray to our kids by our bouts of drinking.
Like that ad on TV, where the dad tells little Johny to go and get him another beer and then we see little Johny as a grown man saying the same thing to his son. Basically, monkey see, monkey do.
If you really do not want your children to be caught up in the drinking culture you can take some preventative steps now by setting a good example. Either avoid it all together, or make a point of only having one or two, then discuss these views and results of the night with them. Sometimes, Uncle Bob being plastered and stupid can be a great discussion with primary age children about the negative effects of consuming too much alcohol.
The best advice I personally have to give is that you have to live with the consequences of what your kids see you do now. And believe me, watching your child make mistakes that could harm them is not a rewarding experience.
Tuesday, 11 November 2008
Newsflash!
Newsflash! Karen Johns has just finished another year of study and she is pretty pleased with herself!
I don’t know about you, but whenever I have accomplished something I feel really good in myself about it and I just want to tell everyone else as well! I am actually just a big kid looking for affirmation all the time – how sad!
But it was this thought that got me thinking about how little I/we recognise and draw attention to our childrens’ accomplishments – like completing another year of school.
Every year our children start school a little smarter than they did the year before. We also know that by the end of the year they are going to be a whole lot smarter than they were at the beginning too. Isn’t that just fantastic? But I ask you – do you ever really sit down with your child and discuss it?
I don’t and I probably should have! I reflected tonight on how great it feels to finish college and how it feels to have my final exam out of the way - pretty confident that I have passed all my subjects. I took the opportunity to feel good in myself and I recognise that I am a lot more knowledgeable about God and the bible than I ever was before. That is a big deal for me.
Our kids have been at school for the whole year and I want to encourage you to take some time out with your child and just reflect together on all that they have achieved this year. They have completed another year of school and they know so much more than they did before. Encourage them to be pleased at what they have done and then encourage them to look forward to the next year and all that they will learn and understand then too!
God tells us to train up our kids in the way they should go and we need to teach our kids to appreciate learning and be excited about who they are and their future.
I don’t know about you, but whenever I have accomplished something I feel really good in myself about it and I just want to tell everyone else as well! I am actually just a big kid looking for affirmation all the time – how sad!
But it was this thought that got me thinking about how little I/we recognise and draw attention to our childrens’ accomplishments – like completing another year of school.
Every year our children start school a little smarter than they did the year before. We also know that by the end of the year they are going to be a whole lot smarter than they were at the beginning too. Isn’t that just fantastic? But I ask you – do you ever really sit down with your child and discuss it?
I don’t and I probably should have! I reflected tonight on how great it feels to finish college and how it feels to have my final exam out of the way - pretty confident that I have passed all my subjects. I took the opportunity to feel good in myself and I recognise that I am a lot more knowledgeable about God and the bible than I ever was before. That is a big deal for me.
Our kids have been at school for the whole year and I want to encourage you to take some time out with your child and just reflect together on all that they have achieved this year. They have completed another year of school and they know so much more than they did before. Encourage them to be pleased at what they have done and then encourage them to look forward to the next year and all that they will learn and understand then too!
God tells us to train up our kids in the way they should go and we need to teach our kids to appreciate learning and be excited about who they are and their future.
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