One Step at a Time

*So I officially stink at blogging. (If I haven't mentioned that before.)

*It's a Saturday morning and I'm up at 7. Ugh.

*Ready for this weekend's cold weather! I need it to feel like Winter so I'll welcome the Summer!

*Reading through the Bible in one year. On day 8, I'm already behind...

*Thankful for the holidays!

*Thankful the holidays are over!

In closing,

My Prayer for 2011 ~

My prayer for 2011 is that I will grow in the area of giving. I've never been a "giver." It makes me so sad! My love language is "quality time." I will sit down and listen to someone talk for hours if I know it's what they need. I'll play a puzzel with Max, or read a book to Ben or just listen to Noah talk about WWII, because I know how much it means to them. But the thought to give them a gift, just because, never even enters my mind!

Jeff loves to give. He gives to people standing in the street holding signs, something I've always been nervous about doing. He doesn't care what they're going to spend the money on, that's not of his concern. He prays that the Lord will use that money for His good, and leaves it at that. He also is always buying other people's lunches! Drives me nuts! And don't get me started about the Salvation Army people ringing the bells outside of Wal Mart during the holidays. I'll give to them if they quit ringing those stinking bells!! But Jeff loves to let the boys put in what seems like 10 dollars in change so we get to stand out in the cold listening to those LOUD BELLS while their little fingers try to get a million pennies into that tiny slot. See? I've got issues.

I (obviously) need to change my heart on this issue. I'm always so focused on what I need for MY family, that I rarely even think of giving. And if there's any left over, my automatic reaction is to save it for MY family at a later time. I need to have faith that the Lord will provide then like He is providing now and has always provided! I want to be blessed so I can be a blessing! And it's going to have to be a choice. It's not just going to happen.

What I love about giving is that it can change a life without much work. When I'm listening to someone talk, I have to listen and give my (always genius) insight. Or if you have the gift of hospitality, you have to think ahead and prepare so the person you're helping feels welcome and comfortable. But with giving, just giving someone a gift, smiling and walking away it can completely change their day!

The Lord has already given me a couple opportunities in this last week to give. I failed miserably the first time (our neighbor is an elderly lady who HATES us, and I had the idea to bake her some cookies and send the boys over to her with them, but I reasoned myself out of doing it), but thankfully learned my lesson and did it the second time with a cheerful heart! One step at a time, right? :)