Psalm 100:4 (RSV) Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him, bless his name!
When I read this verse for the 100th time in my life today, I suddenly saw this verse with a fresh perspective. It gave me an idea for the whole month of November and maybe the rest of the year. When I read "enter into his gates with thanksgiving..." I thought of each time we came home and opened the door to our home.
Chances are when you open the door to your home and your family enters, you encounter shoes being slung off, coats removed, backpacks dropped, and much more. What if, along with that sudden onslaught of dropping your stuff at the door, you challenge your family to drop something else at the door? They leave behind a bad day, hurt feelings, selfish thoughts, jealous wishes, vengeful plans, and any other muck that clouds their mind.
Then, the second they truly enter the home, they have to say something they are grateful for. There is a possibility, if they are like my kids, they will be thinking of what they are going to say before they get home. It's probably due to a competitive nature to be the first to spit out the thankful words, but that's okay. The result will still be their minds have shifted from the negative thoughts to the positive thoughts.
I am sure there are some fun ways to make this unique to your family. If you have some ideas to add some creativity, please share!
When I read this verse for the 100th time in my life today, I suddenly saw this verse with a fresh perspective. It gave me an idea for the whole month of November and maybe the rest of the year. When I read "enter into his gates with thanksgiving..." I thought of each time we came home and opened the door to our home.
Chances are when you open the door to your home and your family enters, you encounter shoes being slung off, coats removed, backpacks dropped, and much more. What if, along with that sudden onslaught of dropping your stuff at the door, you challenge your family to drop something else at the door? They leave behind a bad day, hurt feelings, selfish thoughts, jealous wishes, vengeful plans, and any other muck that clouds their mind.
Then, the second they truly enter the home, they have to say something they are grateful for. There is a possibility, if they are like my kids, they will be thinking of what they are going to say before they get home. It's probably due to a competitive nature to be the first to spit out the thankful words, but that's okay. The result will still be their minds have shifted from the negative thoughts to the positive thoughts.
I am sure there are some fun ways to make this unique to your family. If you have some ideas to add some creativity, please share!