Trying to get excited here, how about you?
-Back to School 2015-
I’m counting down the days…there is one week until school starts for
my high school age boys. This year we have a senior and a sophomore
in High School.
I know that this year will be BIG, busy and the beginning of a transition
that it very bittersweet. And as much as my boys are in denial about
school starting, so am I! Our household is trying to squeeze the last
precious minutes out of our summer this week with extra family time, a
couple of movies, time with friends and a couple of home projects that
we have not done yet.
On top of that, this week we are tossing in a senior portrait session and
a campus tour at a college about an hour away. It’s hectic! I don’t tell the
boys about my own dragging feet as all of this ensues, but maybe they
sense my lack of enthusiasm? And I know I have to help my husband get
them to “rally” and get excited about school work and all of the
possibilities that come with every new school year.
So as I confess to the Lord in my quite time what is in my heart, asking
for wisdom in guiding my boys and supporting my husband as he leads
our family, I got a word form Him that hit the “re-set” button in my
attitude and that word is GRATITUDE. I was immediately convicted,
humbled, filled with a sense of peace, and even joy at the thought of
God’s plans! It makes all the difference when our hearts align with our
creator-He is so good all the time!
I will “Sing to the Lord with grateful praise;” Psalm 147:7 and I will
praise him for the blessing of a wonderful summer, for making
memories together as a family, for more structure and routine as school
begins, for the “new thing” He will be doing in our lives as we head into
our son’s senior year… because we can all be excited about the great
things God has done and will do!
The truth is, my husband is probably feeling the same way I do that our
summer is ending. So tonight in our CouchTime we can both encourage
each other and make a game plan to get the boys pumped up about
school and how we will lead them in getting their hearts and attitude in-
line with the Lord too. Gratitude transforms our hearts!
In our family we like to reflect, teach and encourage each other at
dinnertime. So this week around the dinner table the conversation will
probably start something like this…
- God has been so good to us! What has been your favorite part of our summer and what are you most grateful for?
- What are you most excited about this coming school year?
- What goals do you have for this year and how do you think the Lord is glorified in them?
- What are some opportunities to grow this year?
It’s wonderful to think about the “new thing” God will be doing in our
lives and in our family as our senior in high school goes through each
rite of passage this year and as our youngest grows in knowledge,
stature and maturity this school year. God is something we can all get
excited about and having a grateful heart is a game changer!
I’m pretty excited about the school year-how about you?
Author: Shelly Howard
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