For many years during the month of November, we encouraged our young children to identify something every single day that they were thankful for.  We wrote these sweet sentiments down and hung each one on our “Thankful Tree” in preparation for Thanksgiving.   Once Thanksgiving Day arrives, my family enjoys the tradition of going around the table and sharing something from the past year that each of us are thankful for.

I always thought the point of Thanksgiving was to show thankfulness and gratitude.  And it is…but I also think it is something more.

I was reading a simple book with my 2nd grade daughter titled The First Thanksgiving.  As we were reading, something profound occurred to me that I had never really considered before.  I had never stopped to realize that the real miracle of Thanksgiving wasn’t that the Pilgrims fled religious persecution and made it over on the Mayflower.

The real miracle of Thanksgiving wasn’t that many of them survived a grueling and vicious winter.

The real miracle of Thanksgiving wasn’t that they had a plentiful harvest, thanks to the help of Samoset and Squanto.

The real miracle wasn’t that not a single Pilgrim returned to England on the Mayflower when it departed.

The real miracle of Thanksgiving was that two people groups, who should have been enemies and were different in every conceivable way, came together in the unity of their shared humanity.

I don’t know why this fact had never occurred to me before.  I’ve read some variation of the story of the first Thanksgiving probably a thousand times in my lifetime.  And I always thought the point was that they were grateful for surviving up to that point.  They were grateful for the help that the Native Americans provided.

But what the original Thanksgiving Feast has shown me in light of our very polarized world is that it is possible for people from two different worlds to come together and be thankful with and for each other.  

Despite their fear of each other.  Despite their differences in every conceivable way.  Despite different cultures and customs.  Despite worshipping differently.

It is no surprise, then, that Abraham Lincoln was the President who initiated the National holiday of Thanksgiving on October 3, 1863 during the height of the Civil War.  He signed a proclamation that the last Thursday of November would be set apart as, “a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”  Up until this point, individual states celebrated Thanksgiving at their own times ever since George Washington’s suggestion of such a holiday 74 years prior.  Lincoln’s decision was prompted by many letters from a woman named Sarah Hale, urging the President to institute a “day of our annual Thanksgiving made a National and fixed Union festival.”

I have to believe that President Lincoln recognized something that I had long since glossed over in regards to the celebration of Thanksgiving.

Within his proclamation, Lincoln writes:

“In the midst of a civil war of unequalled magnitude and severity…”

Lincoln then shares the blessings that they have received in the midst of that year like peace with other nations, enlarged borders, yields from harvests and mining, and increasing population.  

“No human counsel hath devised nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things.  They are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.  It has seemed to me fit and proper that they should solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged as with one heart and with one voice by the whole American people.

“And I recommend to them that while offering up the ascriptions justly due to Him for such singular deliverances and blessings, they do also with humble penitence for our national perverseness and disobedience, commend to His tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners, or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife in which are unavoidably engaged, and fervently implore the interposition of the Almighty Hand to heal the wounds of the nation and to restore it as soon as may be consistent with the Divine purposes to the full enjoyment of peace, harmony, tranquility and Union.”

As we draw closer to this Thanksgiving holiday, we are obviously not fighting a war with guns and swords.  But there is a different “civil war” of unequalled magnitude and severity that is being fought with ugly words of hatred for those who think differently than we do.  Our fractured relationships and hardened hearts are the battlefield carnage.

So I urge you…in this time of turmoil, where relationships have been upended and churches fractured by varying thoughts on masks, vaccine mandates, racial tensions, and political ideaology, may we remember the first Thanksgiving.  May we remember the day this proclamation was made and the beginning of a National Holiday.  May we remember that we are all human beings, fellow image bearers of Christ, and may we show thankfulness with one heart and with one voice.

After all, the real miracle of Thanksgiving is unity.  

My children’s school is doing something unique this year. Three times this school year, the students have an opportunity to participate in a 6-week “exploration” for 30 minutes once a week. Teachers, parents, and individuals from the community are invited to host (and design) an ‘exploration. Then students from all grade levels can choose what exploration they are most interested in. Some explorations that have taken place are:  book clubs, LEGOs, interior design, a drumline, board games, slime-making, cooking, and so many more!

For this 6-week rotation, I am volunteering to host a “Kindness Club” exploration. Each week we will start by reading a short picture book and then either perform an act of kindness or create something to give to others. I won’t spoil the surprise of all we plan to do, but this Kindness BINGO game is part of our Kindness Club kick-off tomorrow!

Download the Printable Kindness BINGO board here.

Here is the plan for our first “Kindness Club” meeting:

-Introductions.

-Read Be Kind  by Pat Zietlow Miller (and One by Kathryn Otoshi, if we have time)

-Discuss how we can show kindness at school:  to classmates, teachers, and school staff.

-Write kind and affirming messages on clothespins and encourage kids to sneakily slip them on someone’s backpack, jacket, or clothes!

-Make a “thank you” banner for the teacher’s lounge.

-Hand out a printable Kindness BINGO board to each of the kids. If they return the board with a BINGO next week, they will get a treat at next week’s exploration!

Stay tuned as I’ll be updating more about our “Kindness Club” exploration and all of the kind things the kids do!

One of our three Christmas gifts each year to our boys is either a new Children’s Bible or a Bible Story Book. It is always so fun to curl up together and open the unturned pages in a new Bible for the first time. We have accumulated quite the collection of children’s bibles since our first child was born nearly five years ago. I thought it would be helpful to create a list of the best children’s Bibles for toddlers, & preschoolers (in my opinion).

Bible Books For Kids

Yes, we own every single one of these children’s Bibles I’ve mentioned below… and these are just the ones that I like and recommend! You might wonder:  Why do I need to have more than one children’s Bible? Well, I’m not sure that you “need” multiple Bibles, but I have found that not a single children’s bible includes all of the stories in the Bible (or all the stories I want to teach my children).

Obviously, an illustrated children’s Bible book certainly could not…but I want my children to hear as much of the Bible as they can, which includes the many stories we find in the Good Book. As our children grow…so does their attention span and understanding of these stories so I think it important to have age-appropriate Bibles in our home.

Also, it is important to remember that each of these children’s Bible is someone’s interpretation. I am thankful for these interpretations, however, because they help my little ones yearn to grow closer and know God more from a younger age. They take the Bible and make it accessible and developmentally-appropriate for even the tiniest of children.

The Best Children’s Bibles

Baby Bible

Even though babies will not understand or retain the baby Bible stories you read to them, I believe it is important for Christian families to make reading a Bible story a habit within days of welcoming your baby home. Here are just a few of our favorite bible story books for newborns through to early toddlers.

My Pajama Bible by Andy Holmes

This children’s bible is divided into 30 individual stories with 2 paragraphs each of rhyming text related telling each story. The rhyme and rhythm to this baby Bible make it the perfect read-aloud for babies. It isn’t the best in terms of content (explaining the stories, etc.), but it is an easy, rhythmic read-aloud Bible story book.

Baby’s Hug-a-Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones

This board-book baby Bible, much like The Pajama Bible, is written in beautiful poetry. There are only 10 stories included and they are relatively short (around 2 paragraphs each–perfect for a baby’s short attention span). The Bible itself is large enough to hug and the entire book is covered with a snuggly, sheep-like fabric (which you can’t see from the picture)! The emphasis of every story is on God’s love for us. This is now my go-to baby Bible for baby showers and baby gifts!

The Baby Bible Animals by Robin Currie

This children’s Bible story book is different than the other two recommended for babies in that it includes actions! The stories are simple and short and include at least three actions with every story (roar like a lion, pretend you are hammering, etc), making it perfect for babies 6 months and older. This was both of my boys’ favorite children’s bible well into toddlerhood! There are also gender-specific versions of the Baby Bible for boys and girls (although some of the stories are the same).

Lift the Flap Bible by Sally Lloyd Jones

This sweet Bible story book is written by Sally Lloyd Jones (the same author of the Jesus Storybook Bible) and is great for interactive readers who love to lift flaps! Both Old and New Testament bible stories are included. I would suggest this Bible for babies from 1-2 years.

Toddler Bible

The Beginner’s Bible for Toddlers by Mission City Press Inc.

This toddler Bible is written in more of a narrative form (unlike the poetry and actions that characterized the baby bibles). Your child will be able to recall some details from these stories and will begin to get a sense for the lessons each toddler Bible story teaches us.

the Jesus Story Book Bible by Dennis G. Jones

This children’s Bible story book is perfect for wiggly toddlers who love to look at the pictures. With only 1-2 sentences on each page, toddlers will enjoy learning about the Bible stories through pictures and short narrative. With the exception of the Creation story (which is amazingly illustrated) the illustrations are much more caricature-like than any of the other Bibles (which may or may not appeal to you and your child). I personally prefer the illustrations of the other Bibles, but I know that this will appeal to my boys. There are 24 stories in this Bible (10 Old Testament and 14 New Testament). I ordered this Bible for Little Brother for Christmas. We haven’t read it all together yet, but I did look through all of the stories and was really impressed how simple the content was while still capturing the essence of each story.

Preschool Bible

Would you think I was crazy if I told you that I didn’t know how to the Bible “fit” together until I was in college and began an in-depth Bible study? I didn’t realize that all of the individual stories I learned about in Bible Class (which I went to since I was a baby) all told about the same people, God’s chosen nation of Israel. Nor did I realize just how much the Old Testament pointed to the coming of our Savior in the New Testament. Thankfully, my children will not have this void in their faith walk with the prevalence of children’s bibles that tell the story of Jesus literally from the beginning.

the Jesus Story Book Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones

This is my absolute favorite children’s bible ever written (thus far). Sally Lloyd-Jones does a beautiful job of writing over 40 of the most important stories in narrative form,  including our need for a rescuer (Jesus) in every single story (even in the Old Testament). The illustrations are a bit more abstract, but still capture the essence of each story. If you are looking for ONE bible to read together as a family, THIS is the one!

The Big Picture Story Bible by David Helm

This is another great kids Bible that points to our need for a Savior. The illustrations are very lifelike and the bible itself is rather large, making the title even more relevant. This bible is appropriate for slightly older children because it is not really “fluffed” like many other children’s bibles. The Old Testament section of this Bible talks a lot about punishment and God’s anger, but then again…that is a lot of what we read about in the Old Testament. Overall, it paints a very realistic picture of the stories in the Bible.

Jesus Calling Bible Storybook by Sarah Young

This preschoolers Bible is brand-new to us. I actually bought it for Big Brother for Christmas this year, so he hasn’t gotten to read it yet. I have read several of the stories and I absolutely love the illustrations. At the end of every story, it has a “Jesus Calling” section with a scripture reference that emphasizes Jesus’ presence as well as how we can apply the story to our lives (“I was there when Adam and Eve left the Garden forever”; “Sometimes in this world, you will have to suffer for doing the right thing”). My only complaint is that not all the stories are similar in length, which could be a good thing for using it with younger children and siblings.

The Story for Children by Max Lucado, Randy Frazee & Karen Davis Hill

This children’s Bible is very similar to the Jesus Calling Bible Storybook. The illustrations are beautiful and are a work of art in themselves. The stories are relatively short and keep the attention of both of our boys. At the end of every story, there is a section called “God’s Message” which encapsulates God’s love and what He has taught the character in that particular story.

Children’s Bible

The Adventure Bible

This is an actual Bible with all 66 books and comes in the NIrV translation to ease young readers into being able to read the Bible on their very own. The NIrV is not my favorite translation, and certainly not the most reliable, but it is a great way to bridge the gap between children’s Bible story books and the NIV, ESV, or even King James translations.

Christian Children’s Books

These Christian books for kids are also worth checking out…

The Big Red Tractor by Francis Chan

This parable for children, written by the author of Crazy Love, is a wonderful portrayal of how we function best when following the Bible, which God has given us as our “instruction manual for life.” The story tells about a village who plows a field by having all of the villagers push and pull the tractor, not knowing that it could actually run by itself until someone finds the instruction manual in the attic. Just the like the tractor, we can achieve our true potential with God’s help when we look to our instruction manual (the Bible)!

Halfway Herbert by Francis Chan

Some readers have described this book as Crazy Love for Kids. Herbert only does things halfway:  his homework, cleaning his room, and eating his dinner. He gets caught telling a half-truth and his dad teaches him that if he’s going to live pleasing to Jesus, he’s going to have to put his whole heart into it.

Ronnie Wilson’s Gift by Francis Chan

 This book is a tear-jerker (for adults, anyway). Ronnie learns about Jesus’ great sacrifice in Sunday School and wants to give Jesus a gift. He tries to mail Jesus his coveted baseball glove, but the post office doesn’t mail to Heaven. On his way home, he sees a man who is hungry and uses the money he brought for postage to buy the man a hot dog. Later on, he is jumping on his trampoline, trying to reach Heaven, when he sees his lonely neighbor boy over the fence. He asks his neighbor to jump on the trampoline with him. Finally, he buys a big balloon to use to fly his baseball glove to Jesus only to hear a little girl crying because her balloon floated away. Ronnie gives the little girl his balloon, but then feels badly because he didn’t give a gift to Jesus. That night he has a dream where Jesus tells him that when he gave the food to the hungry man, his time to his neighbor, and the balloon to the sad little girl, Ronnie was giving a gift to him.

What is your family’s favorite children’s Bible?

*The links in this post are my affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure policy.

Click here for more children’s Bible resources and activities:

Books of the Bible Activities for Kids

David and Goliath Craft

Proverbs 21 v 1 Activity for Preschoolers

Books of the Bible Activity with Ping Pong Balls

ABC Printable Scripture Cards

Free Printable Scripture Cards for Moms

Count Your Blessings Jar

You may be familiar with the old hymn Count Your Blessings…

“Count your blessings, name them one by one, Count your blessings see what God hath done!”

That is the exact purpose of a Blessing Jar… To be reminded of the ways that God has worked in our lives over the previous year!

Blessing Jar

*This really is just one jar, I just had to take two pictures to show the entire word “blessings”.

Blessing Jar Ideas

Here’s how the blessings jar works…

Whenever you recognize a “blessing” in your life throughout the year, just write it on a piece of paper, fold it up, and stick it in the Blessing Jar.

On New Years Eve, dump out all the blessings from the entire year and go through it together as a family. It will be a great reminder of God’s faithfulness… in times of joy AND in times of difficulty!

(And if you’re scrambling on New Years Eve to write all the blessings down that you forgot to write during the year like we often do…that’s okay too!).

We already have a Blessing Jar, but I thought it would be fun to “remake” one (perhaps for a gift next year).

Blessing Jar Instructions

1. Grab a clean jar with a lid (I used an old spaghetti sauce jar).
2. Download and print the sheet music to Count Your Blessings here (left-hand side…click on “View PDF Sheet Music”).
3. Tape the blessing jars printable on your jar.

4. Add a label using scrapbook paper and stickers.

I would suggest using smaller stickers…mine were quite large and, as you can see, you can’t get view the whole word “blessings” without turning the jar.

5. Add a ribbon (or you could even make one of these adorable felt roses).

6. Start adding blessings!

I hope this will be a tradition your family treasures as much as mine does!

This post was first published Dec 2010. Updated 2018.

I believe God can speak to us in certain situations by reminding us of His truths that have been memorized long ago. I’ve intended on making these printable scripture cards for a while now, but finally spent a few hours finishing it on Saturday. It took a lot of time to find bible verses for every letter of the alphabet!

Short Bible Verses For Kids

I was inspired by the book My ABC Bible Verses, which I came very close to buying. After flipping through it at the book store, however, I realized that many of the scriptures were in the King James version. We rarely use the King James version in our house (since the language used isn’t one that our kids understand), so this didn’t make sense for us. I used a variety of translations for the abc bible verses I chose, including the New International Version, the Contemporary English Version, the New Living Translation, and the KJV (for the letter “t”). I also used Impress Your Kid’s ABC Scriptures as a reference for some of the verses I chose for these scripture cards.

Bible Verses For Kids

We’re planning on working with the boys (mostly Big Brother) on memorizing one verse each week. There are four alphabet letters and scriptures per page.

Download here:  >>>>>>>   ABC Scripture Cards    <<<<<<<

After printing out these ABC Scripture Cards on card stock, I first laminated them. I have this laminator and love it! Then, I hole-punched each scripture card and used a binder clip to keep them all together! A little ribbon tied onto the binder clip makes it look a little cuter. :)

I hope that you will find these bible verses for kids to be a blessing to you and your family!

This post was first published Oct 2011. Updated 2018.

A Greener Version of the ABC Scripture Cards

I updated the ABC bible verses so that they could be printed on both the front AND back of each piece of card stock. This will take a little bit of effort on your part to ensure that the paper gets fed into your printer correctly (and facing the right direction). You also must select ‘reverse page orientation’ on the back sides ONLY of each page when you are printing it.

If you are successful… you will have a memory verse on the front AND back of each card that are in alphabetical order (B is on the back of A, D is on the back of C, etc).

I decided to print the scripture cards this way because I wanted to make some to send to the mission we support in Zimbabwe as well as share with others in our area. Making several sets of these would be much too costly and time-consuming with the original layout.

I also changed the picture for the verse “A” because obviously, not everyone will have a home that looks like the one depicted in the original ABC scripture cards. The clip art that replaced it is still not representative of all family types but at least it doesn’t show a home being an architectural structure, rather a family unit.

Step-by-step instructions for printing your ‘green’ Scripture Cards:

1. Print out verses beginning with A, C, E, and G.
2. Then, feed the paper back into the printer.
3. Print out verses B, D, F, and H on the other side.  **
4. On a second piece of cardstock…
5. Print out verses I, K, M, and O.
6. Then, feed the paper back into the printer.
7. Print out verses J, L, N, and P on the other side.  **
8. On a third piece of cardstock…
9. Print out verses Q, S, U, and W.
10. Then, feed the paper back into the printer.
11. Print out verses R, T, V, and X on the other side. **
12. On a fourth piece of cardstock…
13. Print out the verse beginning with Y and the title.
14. Then, feed the paper back into the printer.
15. Print out the verse beginning with Z and the description on the other side. **

*Make sure you choose the option to ‘reverse page orientation’ on your printer settings on THIS page ONLY.*

So now instead of using 7 pieces of cardstock…you’re only using 4!

If you choose to laminate them, you only need 4 laminating pouches. I highly recommend laminating them, especially if you review your memory verses at the dinner table! We have had this laminator for over a year and a half and we love it. I buy the generic pouches from Sam’s, which are very affordable!

Click here for more great bible resources & ideas:

Printable Bible Verses To  Memorize For Moms

Scripture Cookies

Best Children’s Bibles For Toddlers & Preschoolers

Sunday School Activities For Kids

Books of the Bible Activities for Kids

David and Goliath Craft

Here they are! Just click on the links below to download. Each page has 4 different bible verses on it. I chose scriptures that specifically apply to areas in my life that I felt needed some work! :)

Free Printable Scripture Cards

First set of printable scripture cards

Second set of printable scripture cards

Third set of printable scripture cards

Memorizing Scripture In The Shower

If memorizing scripture is on your priority list but you’re trying to find the time to do it, I have the perfect solution for you. Memorize bible verses in the shower!!!

Here are two ways to memorize scripture in the shower:

1. Laminate the bible verses and hang over them shower head with a duct tape strap.

I did this a few years ago when I was doing Beth Moore’s study on the book of James. My goal was to memorize the entire first chapter. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite get the whole chapter memorized, but I did make it to verse 20!

I just chose the passage of scripture I wanted on biblegateway.com, then I copied and pasted it into a Word document. After that, I printed it out and laminated it (we have this laminator)! I used some herringbone duct tape folded over to make a strap to go over the shower head. It is still hanging in our shower…two years later!

I want to work on memorizing individual scriptures verses this year, so I have made the printable scripture cards to use.

2. Listen to the Audio Bible using this Bluetooth shower speaker.

I bought this shower speaker for my husband for his stocking this Christmas, not really expecting it to work that great)! It has definitely exceeded our expectations and it was one of his favorite gifts!

We use this Bluetooth speaker and  YouVersion Bible app on our phones to listen to the Bible being read aloud. This is especially helpful when trying to memorize a large chunk of scripture.

This post was first published 2011. Updated 2018.

Do you have any favorite scriptures that you think should be included as free printable scripture card? Leave your suggestions in the comments and perhaps I’ll make another one… :)

Click here for more helpful scripture resources & ideas:

ABC Printable Scripture Cards For Kids

Scripture Cookies

Magnetic Scripture Frame

Best Children’s Bibles for Toddlers & Preschoolers

Scriptures To Pray For Your Children

Books of the Bible Activities

I still remember the sting I felt six years ago. I was mindlessly scrolling Facebook one Saturday afternoon when I came to a picture of familiar faces. Several of my friends from church had carpooled two hours away to see another friend who had recently moved…and this group (that included some of my closest friends at the time) hadn’t invited me. It felt purposeful that I wasn’t included. To say I was crushed at the time seems to be a bit overdramatic, but that is exactly what I felt.

Fast forward a few years when I got together with a couple friends for dinner and one of those friends posted a sweet picture of us the next day. Little did I know that another friend would feel exactly the same way that I felt those years ago. Excluded. Isolated. Uninvited.

I have been on both sides of the “posting pictures of friends on social media” issue. I love my friends. I love getting together with my friends. I love posting these pictures because my friends are a part of who I am as a person- they have spoken life and love into me in a season filled with babies, then toddlers, preschoolers, and now school-aged kiddos. Why wouldn’t I want to show the world how great my friends are?!?!

But I don’t. Not anymore. I have learned that posting pictures of my friends and me online isn’t worth the heartache and hurt it could potentially cause someone else. Someone, like me all those years ago, who wasn’t invited.

I don’t think this is a maturity issue or an issue needing “thicker skin”. This is a human issue. Being excluded, whether you are SEVEN or SEVENTY, hurts. And is it worth it to hurt a friend in order to show our online world how great our lives are? I don’t think so. I would venture to guess that every single woman (or man) has felt the sting of being excluded. We wouldn’t walk up to someone and tell them all about the event we went to, knowing they weren’t invited, so why would we post pictures that essentially do the same thing?

As women (and individuals), we will be healthier and less prone to feeling hurt/wounded when we are confident in ourselves. Ultimately for me, this means finding my identity in the Lord and not my husband, children, friends, job, or contribution to society. When I focus on my relationship with Him, I am less prone to feeling hurt or jealous and more eager to give grace and be happy for others. But life is a journey and we are not all at a confident place in our lives. Showing sensitivity for those who are more vulnerable is truly an act of kindness.

I am the type of person that is most comfortable one-on-one or in a small group of 3 or 4 (at the max). I feel lost in a bigger group and can’t connect beyond surface-level topics. In order to have meaningful friendships, this normally means that I seek out time for individual conversations. If I am going to break away from being with my family, it will normally be to get together with a friend one-on-one. And this inevitably means that not everyone is invited. This is a recipe for a deep and meaningful friendship, in my opinion, and something that doesn’t need to be broadcasted to the world…especially when this one-on-one time might be hurtful to someone else.

Don’t get me wrong…I still post pictures of my family and will post pictures of/with friends (and my friends’ kids) if we are at an inclusive event (church, school, or community functions where everyone is invited). But if I have dinner with a friend or we take a trip with another family, I won’t post it. It isn’t worth hurting other friends in the process.

PS- I think this is an ESPECIALLY important lesson we need to learn in the church. The online world is tricky territory when it comes to our faith as nothing is black and white…but I think that as Christians we must be ultra vigilant to ensure that the image we are working so hard to create online isn’t hurting others in the process.  1 Corinthians 9 talks about not being a stumbling block to someone else and I think the social media world is definitely one tactic the Enemy uses!

PPS- I use Facebook as my online photo album. ALL my special pictures from the years are on there. If I want to include a photo in an album so that I will have it down the road but don’t want to hurt someone in the process, I just set the privacy settings on either the picture or the album to “just me” or to the select individuals  I want to include. No one else will be able to see the photos this way.

What are your thoughts on this issue? Please share in the comments!

SaveSave

We are only a week into summer and I texted my husband at 8am this morning saying that I am ready to officially resign from my position as cruise ship director. I am so done trying to keep my kids entertained all. day. long. I want them to be bored. I want them to have free time to play and imagine. But after having every minute of their day totally structured for the last nine months of their life, the transition to freedom isn’t always an easy one.

And the fighting. Goodness gracious…the fighting.

I’m definitely not going to win the “coolest mom” award on this post. It might even seem to contradict some things that I’ve previously written on my blog.

However, I fear we’re headed down a slippery slope when it comes to parenting and we at least need to start talking about it. For some reason, as moms, we have this strange belief that it is our job to entertain our kids all. the. time.

In case you aren’t convinced … feel free to browse Pinterest for a few minutes or visit one of the amazing blogs with activities for children. I too am guilty of spinning my wheels day after day, trying my hardest to provide fun experiences for my children … all in the name of being a “good mom.”

Yes, we want our kids to have a happy childhood with a variety of experiences. But this certainly doesn’t mean that the mark of a good mother is spending all her time creating and engaging her kids in those activities.

If the end goal of parenting for you is the same as it is for me (raising our children to know, love, and emulate Jesus), then “entertaining” certainly isn’t what the majority of our focus should be on. It should be focused on others, just as Jesus was. After all, the two greatest commandments are loving God and loving others.

So, what is a mother to do?

Meet their needs of feeding, changing, and bathing? Yes.

Teach our children? Yes.

Engage with our children in play? Yes.

Enjoy our children? Yes.

Play with our children? Yes, although not every minute of the day.

Encourage our children to think of others before themselves? YES!

Laugh with, tickle, and kiss our sweet babies? OF COURSE!

Entertain our children every minute of the day? No.

The fact is:  When we make it our mission in life to make sure that our children are entertained and having fun, we are teaching them that that is what life is all about–them!  It also can prohibit children from using their imaginations and their own creativity to come up with something fun to do on their own (which is a problem with my firstborn–I continually entertained him from birth to 2 years of age, when his little brother was born, and now he has a hard time self-regulating his own play).

Rather than going out of our way to find ways to entertain our kids, let’s go out of our way thinking of opportunities that we can serve and love others together.

What do you think?

Originally posted August 2014 on MomLife Today

We are sharing a new mini blessing bag idea each month this year along with a free printable to include in your mini blessing bags. We have found that the sandwich-size blessing bags are much easier to hand out to individuals than the larger bags we have made in the past. We keep our blessing bags in the console of our van and the boys are always eager to pass them out when we see someone in need as we go about our day to day activities.

As a family, we are all striving to meet the needs of the people around us and to do our best to fulfill the Great Commandment of loving God and loving our neighbors. I won’t speak for the rest of my family, but many times I fall flat on my face and my selfish nature rears its ugly head. I was reminded yet again in my Bible study of Matthew 25 just this morning about how important it is to Jesus that we not only see those in need (sometimes this can be the biggest hurdle) but then also to take action to help lessen their burden.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’

“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’       -Matthew 25:34-40

Although these blessing bags most likely won’t change anyone’s life, they are a very small way we can serve the hungry and thirsty in our own communities. And they point to the true source of refuge and strength:  God.

Here is what we included in this month’s blessing bags:

-Rain Poncho (we bought a 10-pack on Amazon)

-Peanut Butter Crackers

-A $5 bill (to purchase a meal)

–Colgate Wisp waterless toothbrushes

-Our Psalm 46:1 Printable (or the blank version you can write a message on yourself)

Download the printable(s) here:

April Blessing Bag Printable

April Blessing Bag Printable (without the scripture – no text)

The kids and I used watercolors and markers to decorate our Psalm 46:1 Printable.

Then we assembled our bags!

Check out the Blessing Bags for other month’s here.

Back in February I shared that I was going to be offering a free monthly printable for creating mini Blessing Bags. If you are unfamiliar with the concept of a blessing bag, this is just a simple way to be a blessing to those you come across who might be in need (we mostly give them out to people standing on the side of the road with signs). These March Mini Blessing Bags are made in sandwich-sized plastic bags, which is much more convenient than a gallon-sized bag for the individuals receiving them.

I thought with St. Patrick’s Day in the middle of March, my favorite Irish blessing would be the perfect bit of encouragement for someone struggling through a difficult time. I have been overwhelmed by the positive response these little bags have gotten from those who have received them. One man looked at the bag and shouted, “YESSS!!!! I needed a new pair of socks!” Another man received two a few weeks apart from each other. He said, “Hey, I remember you from last time. Thank you so much…you don’t know how much this means for someone to acknowledge us let alone try to help us.” My kids love rolling down the van window and handing them out whenever they are with me. I am continually reminded to try to stop and see people as individuals created in the image of God and do our best to offer a bit of encouragement, even if it only lasts a few seconds.

Go here to print our Irish Blessing printable!

Here are some ideas for mini blessing bags (limit to 3 or 4 depending on space):

-Socks (for the winter months)

-Crackers

-Trail Mix

-Nuts

-Chapstick

-$5 bill

-Gift Card to a Fast Food Restaurant

-Toothbrush/Toothpaste

-Hand sanitizer

-Travel size ibuprofen

-Soap (double-bag if putting in with food or else the food will taste like soap)

I store our blessing bags in my car, between the driver seat and passenger seat for easy access. We end up passing out at least one per week, normally around busy shopping centers.

Check out our blessing bag printables for other months!