ROOTED IN LOVE â—½ ENCOURAGEMENT
Reset Button
by Kaelin Scott
One thing I love about homeschooling my kids is that we get to spend so much extra time together. I truly enjoy their growing up years and watch them learn and explore the world every single day. The downside to all that time together, though, is that we can sometimes get irritated with each other more quickly. My kids are best friends and I can usually hear them laughing and having fun, but there are times where they bicker nonstop and argue about every little thing.
For about two weeks straight, they were in one of those phases, specifically in the morning during breakfast and getting ready for school. They would wake up and immediately go to fighting. It didn’t matter what I said or did, they were just at each other’s throats first thing in the morning. After a while, I had enough. Something had to change.
On a whim, or maybe by the Holy Spirit’s prompting, I decided to play Good God Almighty by David Crowder. (If you’ve never heard this song, it’s super upbeat and catchy, and you can’t help praising God by the end.) I turned my phone volume up as loud as it could go and blasted this song through the house while the kids got dressed and brushed their teeth. And do you know what happened? I peeked into the living room and found them dancing and singing together with the biggest smiles on their faces. What a drastic change!
Because it had such a positive impact, I blared that song on full blast every single morning for a week straight. And every single time, the kids were smiling and singing and dancing their little hearts out. No more arguing or fighting before school! Not to mention, it lifted my spirits and got me motivated to start the day as well.
It’s easy to let our hearts get distracted from the joy of the Spirit inside us. We get tired, we get emotional; we get stressed and overwhelmed. The worries and burdens of life can weigh heavy on us and make us snap easily. It’s normal and it’s human. We all get there sometimes.
It’s those moments when we have to pause and hit the reset button. When we find ourselves in a funk, we have to make a change. Even if it’s something small, finding a way to praise God can instantly change our outlook. He’s always right there with us, but sometimes we just have to give ourselves a little reminder.
Setting the tone for the day can be as simple as dancing to a praise song. You don’t need any fancy equipment or special tools. Giving God your day is simple, but it’s a choice you have to make.
Some days we don’t get it right, but that’s okay because His mercies are new every morning. No matter what’s going on in our lives, we can always tune our hearts to His grace.