Gratitude for Peace

Hello! Happy new week :-) Today's scripture about gratitude is lengthy, but it's awesome...

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:15-17

Basically, we need to be thankful for the gift of peace that is freely given to us, we need to actively praise God through His Word and worship to experience that peace, and we need to be grateful for Jesus, God's own son, at all times in order to feel the peace. Sometimes, I forget that peace can be achieved all the time. Peace isn't a feeling dependent on our circumstances, but actually a chosen way to live given freely to us by our Father. No matter what our day may look like, we are called to live a life of peace and to ensure that an environment of peace is created around our family. It's there to take, we must decide to accept it!

One way to receive that gift of peace daily is to worship regularly! An interesting story, if you let me digress for a bit...I'm really into politics. It isn't who I am, but I enjoy keeping up with the news, talk radio, and watching the highs and lows of our nation attempting to govern itself. With the upcoming election, I've been listening to a lot of talk radio while we do errands. At the same time, our son has decided that he does not like to be strapped into the car seat anymore. We are talking all out fits in the back seat! Amazingly...almost all of the time...when I put on the Christian radio station, he calms down. I watch him in the rear view mirror, gathering himself, wiping his tears, and calmly looking out the window. This example is just one in a hundred of how the words of praise to our Father can completely calm a situation and bring peace to all who hear. Sometimes, I go to the praise music channel and play it when he just needs to come down a few notches at home. If you aren't much of the singing type, simply hearing the words of praise is enough to usher peace into a situation. Try it. It's so cool!

Finally, giving thanks for God and for His Son will allow us to walk into peace, doors wide open and welcoming. Remembering that peace is a gift given through the death and resurrection of Jesus is the best way to experience the calm, and then to show our gratefulness for it.

I pray this is a blessing for each of you today. I also pray that you are enjoying this season of gratitude! Just as a reminder, be sure to click on the MMSM and Organizational Tip pages for tips to practically help you bring peace into your budgets and your homes. Be blessed, mommies!

MMSM #57

If there is ever a time to become a regular couponer, or just a seasonal couponer, it is now! Food companies and stores know that we are going to shop, and shop a lot, during the holiday season. Every brand wants you to try their product, so many companies put out fabulous high-value coops during November and December. Click over to my "Couponing" page for tips and tricks on getting coupons, and see if you can't do a little money-saving over these next two months. Let me know how much stuff you get for free!